Forbidden Imprint: Embry's Story
by IamKate
Summary: Embry Call imprints on the one woman he can't have…Jacob Black's happily married sister, Rebecca Black-Cleary. What happens to a wolf when his imprint is forbidden to him? Voted TNTS's Best Lemon/Romantic Fan Fiction.
1. Why Imprinting Sucks

A/N –This story is the third installment of my "Imprint Saga." The first in the series was "First Imprint (Sam's Story) followed by, "Early Imprint (Quil's Story)." It may help you to better understand the characters and backgrounds if you read those stories first, but it is not required. This story will contain strong language, adult themes, and is Rated M. Per site rules, if you're under 16 you shouldn't be reading this. You have been warned.

For those of you who read Early Imprint…as I mentioned in the epilogue of that story, this story will be divided into two parts to fit the timeframe of Quil's story. Part I will take place around the time Embry first imprints, Part II will take place down the road.

Also, I've had a couple of people ask me now which characters in my stories are mine and which are SM's so I thought I'd write this disclaimer: While the wonderful world and characters from the Twilight Saga belong to Stephenie Meyer, the following characters are my original creations: Nate and Gracie Uley, Ronnie, Stacy, Cora and Nick Young, Meena and Gabe Black, Kayley Ateara, Claire's friends: Amber, Ashley, and Lindsey, and the wolves: Azra, Ryan, and Devlin. If you don't know these characters…you will. :)

Whew…now on to the story…I hope you enjoy "Forbidden Imprint."

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**Forbidden Imprint (Embry's Story)**

PART I

**Prelude**

Let me tell you something about imprinting. It's not all hearts and flowers that people make it out to be. It's painful, destructive, and it can bring a grown man to his knees. I once envied my friends who'd imprinted. I was secretly jealous because they had found their soul mates…that special someone that they'd get to spend the rest of their lives with. As years went by and more friends imprinted, I began to feel like it was never going to happen to me. I didn't know that my other half did in fact exist. I didn't know that one day I'd come face to face with her and my world would be changed forever. I didn't know that the one person I was meant to be with would be forbidden to me…

**Chapter 1 – Why Imprinting Sucks**

Embry's POV

I looked down at my watch and swore. 7:12 pm. I was supposed to be at Jacob and Renesmee's wedding rehearsal at 7:00 pm. Alice Cullen would have my ass if I screwed anything up for her niece.

I pushed my car to its limits as I raced towards the Cullen house where the wedding was going to take place. After we were done with the rehearsal tonight, we were going out for dinner at "The Lodge" in Forks. I was looking forward to tonight and tomorrow. I was happy for Jacob and Renesmee, not only for their upcoming marriage, but for the twins they were expecting as well.

The two people I was closest to in this world, Jacob Black and Quil Ateara, had found their imprints…their soul mates…though Quil's imprint, Claire, wasn't even nine yet. But they had found the girls they would some day marry and have children with. They had a sense of contentment about them that I lacked. I envied them that, but I loved them too much to not want the best for them.

Jake and Quil were my brothers growing up. Their families became my family. I could have just been Jake and Quil's fatherless friend, but both the Blacks and the Atearas had taken me into their homes and loved me as though I were their own flesh and blood.

My mother had told me my "father" had died shortly after I was born. They weren't even able to get married first, so I was born with my mother's maiden name, Call. We had moved to La Push when I was only a few months old. Because of my closeness to Jake and Quil, I looked at both of their fathers as though they were my own. I always had a father figure to look up to.

Of course, after I phased for the first time into a shape-shifting wolf, I knew that my father couldn't be who my mom said he was. My mother wasn't Quileute and neither was the man who supposedly sired me. For me to be a wolf meant that my father had to be Quileute. For me to be a wolf meant that my father had to be Quileute. That/Which meant that my father was either Jake's dad, Billy, Quil's dad, Quil II, or Sam Uley's dad, Joshua.

Joshua seemed the most likely candidate considering he was known for being a sleaze who left Sam and his mother, Dorothy, when Sam was a kid. I had asked my mother once right after I phased the first time if my "father" was my actual dad. Her response was to ground me for a week without explanation.

My mother was gone a lot while I was growing up. She had me when she was young, just 19, and I think she spent a lot of my youth enjoying her 20s to the fullest. Still, she did the best she could, given that she was a young, single parent. She was there for me when I needed her. She didn't even have to work a full time job, because she lived off some trust fund she had received. But I spent a lot of my younger years sleeping over at Quil or Jake's house.

And I was always welcome. I think that was why I bonded as closely to the Blacks and the Atearas as I did. Quil's grandfather, Quil Sr., and Billy Black, are Elders of our tribe. I think they took pity on my fatherless state and made sure I was included in everything on the reservation. In fact, when I first started phasing and my mother would ground me because she'd always find my bed empty in the middle of the night, it was Quil Sr. who'd talked to her on my behalf. After that conversation, I had been able to patrol without getting grounded. I loved both the Blacks and the Atearas for everything they had given me, though I had always felt a special closeness to Jake's family.

Jake's mom, Sarah, had been like a second mother to me. When she died, it devastated the Black family. The accident had occurred when Jake was twelve and Jake's twin sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, were sixteen. The girls helped around the house as best they could, but both had been exceedingly close to their mom and had left the reservation as soon as they turned 18. The memories La Push held for them were too excruciating.

Rachel went off to college. Rebecca met some surfer when he came to the area for a surfing competition and when he returned to Hawaii, she had gone with him, marrying him three months later.

My thoughts drifted to Rebecca as I pulled into the Cullen property and hopped out of my car. I couldn't prevent the excited feeling I had as I walked towards the house. Rebecca had finally come home after a nine year absence. I was really looking forward to seeing her.

I had never told Quil or Jacob this, but I'd once had a crush on Rebecca around the time I hit puberty. It had really bothered me when she moved to Hawaii. I still thought of her often, especially anytime I saw Rachel who was married to Paul, a retired wolf.

Rebecca and Rachel were identical, and yet personality wise, they couldn't have been more different. Rachel was studious and serious, which was probably what made her a perfect match for Paul, who had always been so temperamental before he imprinted. Rebecca, on the other hand, had always been the wild, impulsive one.

I think that was what attracted me to her when I was younger. I was always shy whereas Rebecca was just the opposite and completely open. Our personalities always reminded me of ying and yang. She was rebellious and didn't give a damn about things like school. I was quiet, always did what I was told, and was a straight A student. We were completely different and yet, we somehow got along perfectly. I had always felt especially close to her even when I was a kid.

I had long outgrown my crush on her, but I couldn't help the anticipation I felt, knowing I was about to see her again. She had come back and was in fact, participating in her baby brother's wedding. I was going to be the one she walked down the aisle with tomorrow. The urge to see her again was actually getting strangely painful. I walked quickly up the front steps. The door opened before I even had a chance to knock.

"Embry Call, do you have any idea what time it is?" came a high musical voice. I looked into Alice Cullen's wrathful face and took a step back. I had never seen her look so much like a vampire as she did in that moment.

"I'm sorry Alice…I was doing some paperwork," I explained.

Quil and I had opened a garage the year before with Jake as our head mechanic. It worked out pretty well too. Jake got flexibility to leave the area with the Cullens if they ever decided to move, and in the meantime, we got the best mechanic in the area.

"You mess up my niece's wedding, and I can promise you…I will make the Newborn War look like a picnic!" Alice threatened.

"Yes ma'am," I smiled winningly.

Alice rolled her eyes and let me into the house. "They're out back near the river already."

I hurried out to the backyard where I could see Ness and Jake holding hands while they talked to the minister with Quil. There was some blond guy I didn't recognize talking to Paul while sitting in one of the chairs set up near the makeshift altar.

My eyes quickly scanned the area as I walked towards the rehearsal. I saw Rachel talking to a woman who matched her exact height and hair color. I realized it was Rebecca and felt my heart lurch. Rachel caught sight of me and waved in my direction. I nodded in response but didn't take my eyes off her twin. I continued to stare at the back of Rebecca's head, hoping she would look at me.

_You fucking idiot! She's a happily married woman, _a voice inside my head reminded me.

It was the last coherent thought I had before Rebecca, upon seeing her sister's wave, turned around and caught sight of me. I saw her face break into a beautiful, welcoming smile. I tried to smile back, but when I looked into her eyes, I lost all sense of reality.

Everything around me suddenly went blurry and the only thing I could see with perfect clarity was Rebecca. I felt every single bond I had ever felt towards other people disintegrate as though they never existed. Nothing else mattered to me more than the woman standing in front of me. My whole world now spun around Rebecca. Vaguely, I registered in the back of my mind that I just imprinted, but all I could do was stare.

"Hey little brother, it's been a long time," Rebecca said with a laugh as she walked towards me.

I felt her arms wrap around my neck. My own went around her waist as I pulled her close, taking a deep breath of her very essence. I rubbed my cheek briefly across her hair, learning its softness. The blond guy talking to Paul stood up and crossed his arms, glaring at me as I continued to hug Rebecca. She removed her arms and pulled away, looking at me expectantly.

"Yeah…it's been a real long time," I responded gruffly. I already longed to hold her close to me again.

"I can't believe how big you've gotten. Last time I saw you, your voice was cracking, and now look at you. What are they feeding you guys anyway? You, Jacob, and Quil are so huge now." Rebecca said with mirth in her eyes.

"Oh you know…we're eating our spinach like Popeye." I attempted to joke. _Spinach? What the fuck?_

Rebecca rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, dragging me over to the blond guy, who looked like he had taken one too many steroids…not that I couldn't take him.

"Embry, I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Ian Cleary. Ian, this is my brother's friend, and my unofficial brother, Embry Call."

Shit! I had to meet her husband...right now? And did she really have to describe me as her brother? I felt sick at the thought.

I watched as her husband wrapped an arm around Rebecca's waist in a possessive manner. I felt myself tremble slightly.

"Shall we begin the wedding rehearsal?" The minister asked us, distracting me from my sudden urge to attack Surfer Boy.

Jacob said an eager "yes." I blinked and forced myself to look away from Rebecca. I quickly glanced around. Jake and Ness were staring into each other's eyes and hadn't noticed that I had finally imprinted. Paul was looking at me strangely, and I could see Rachel and Quil whispering to each other and glancing in my direction.

The rehearsal didn't take long. We got to the end where I was supposed to walk Rebecca down the aisle. She smiled at me brightly as she walked over to me. My heart sped up as Rebecca grabbed my arm and slid her hand so that it rested on my forearm. Because I couldn't help myself, I placed my hand over hers, brushing my fingers across the silky smoothness of her skin. She looked at me when I did this, staring at me in perplexity.

As soon as we finished walking down the aisle, Rebecca let go of me and walked nonchalantly over to her husband, grabbing his hand in hers and resting her head against his arm. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead. Seeing that gesture, pain shot through my body. I had to look away and take a deep, controlling breath as my hands began to shake. If I didn't control myself, I was going to end up phasing in front of everyone and rip Ian's throat out.

"So what next? The Lodge?" Jake asked, his arm around Ness's waist, his hand resting against her pregnancy bump.

He and Ness had already had their bachelor/bachelorette parties the weekend before. I didn't remember much of it as Jasper and Emmett had continuously given me alcohol throughout the night. I found out later that they had made a bet with each other to see how quickly they could make a wolf drunk. I didn't know what they had given me, but I passed out after two hours. I'm glad we had decided on the party last week instead of tonight. I would have hated to face Alice if we all had hangovers.

"The Lodge sounds good," Paul replied, his hand rubbing Rachel's shoulder.

We each took separate cars into Forks. I followed behind Quil's car. Already the longing to see Rebecca again was painful. Fuck, what was I going to do? Rebecca lived in Hawaii. She never came to the area anymore. How was I going to handle this?

I parked outside of the restaurant and sat there for a moment before taking a deep breath and getting out of my car. I kept my eyes on the pavement in front of me as I followed Rebecca and her husband into the building.

My eyes jerked back to them just in time to see Ian's hand slide down and grab my imprint's ass, cupping it before moving back to her hip. I looked back down immediately and concentrated as hard as I could on not giving into my instincts to make Rebecca a widow.

We were seated at a table and soon placed our orders with the waitress. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Rebecca. I knew I was pissing off her husband, but I was unable to make myself stop looking at her. She should be mine, not his. Isn't that the whole point of imprinting...to find your fucking soul mate? Just then Rebecca looked at me and frowned. I forced myself to look away from her.

The table got very quiet. The only sound I could hear was the sound of Ness and Jacob kissing, which they had pretty much done nonstop since we'd been seated. I looked up and saw Rebecca staring at the table with a confused expression on her face. Ian was looking at me like he wanted to throw a punch. My eyes challenged his briefly.

_Yeah, you go ahead and try it, fucker. I'd love nothing more than to crush your kidneys with my bare hands._

Paul and Quil immediately started talking about football and kept throwing questions at me. I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Rebecca, who I was staring at again, and joined in their conversation. I thought I felt Rebecca glance at me several times once our dinner arrived and we began to eat, but whenever I looked over, she was either talking to her husband or to her twin.

Ian kept kissing Rebecca's neck. I could hear him whispering things to her. Something about taking her back to the hotel and trying out their bed. When Rebecca giggled and murmured her consent, I had to clasp my hands together under the table so no one would notice the revealing trembling. Rebecca suddenly leaned in and kissed Ian on the lips. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

Jumping up, I ran to the bathroom. I went to the sink and filled my shaking hands with water, bringing them close to me to splash my face. Looking up, I was startled to see how pale I looked. My eyes seemed to be sunken in my head.

_Get a fucking grip!_

Sighing, I went back out to our table only to notice that Rebecca, Ian, Ness, and Jake had left.

"I think I'm going to head out too," I told Rachel, Paul, and Quil.

"You okay?" Quil asked. I nodded, paid for my dinner, and left.

_Yeah, I'm just great. My world feels like it's been turned upside down and my insides feel like they've been ripped out, but other than that I'm just wonderful. _

I walked out into the cool night air hoping the fresh scent of pine would calm me. Instead, all I could smell was Rebecca. She smelled like a combination of vanilla and lavender. Hearing a small groan, I looked over and saw Rebecca and Ian plastered against their rental car. They were locked in a passionate embrace, completely oblivious to what was around them. Ian's hands were cupping Rebecca's ass again as he held her against him.

I knew in that second, I couldn't hold on any longer. I ran to the forest edge and barely made it in the trees before I phased out of my clothes. I ran faster than I'd ever run before.

Jesus…I can't believe I actually envied Jake and Quil at one time for imprinting. I remembered feeling their bonds to their imprints whenever we patrolled together. I thought it was the best feeling in the world. But I was wrong. Imprinting sucked. I wanted nothing more than to go back in time and have the imprint undone. Even as I thought this, I felt sharp pain race through my body. It was like the magic in my blood knew I was trying to reject the gift it had given me. Gift? What a fucking joke.

Well, I guess the one good thing that happened out of this mess was that I figured out who my father was. Billy Black couldn't be my father. I couldn't have imprinted on my sister. Quil's dad most likely wasn't a candidate either given that Quil and Jacob were second cousins. Which meant Joshua Uley was my father.

I pondered this only momentarily though as I ran all night until I finally knew I was going to collapse if I didn't get home soon. As I made my way back to town, two thoughts played over and over again in my head.

I had found my soul mate…and she was married. What was I supposed to do now?

_A/N – All right, let me know what you thought of the first chapter. __**Please review!**_

If you want to see which actors/models I've had in my head for each of my stories, here is a banner:

http://i940(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/ad242/IAK_photos/ImprintSagajpeg(dot)jpg


	2. There Goes Another One

_A/N – Thank you everyone for the feedback on the first chapter! Just a reminder this story is M for smut and strong language._

**Chapter 2 – There Goes Another One**

Embry's POV

Ah weddings! What a perfect way to be reminded of what you'll never have. As hard as I tried, I couldn't concentrate as the minister went through the ceremony of joining Jacob and Renesmee in holy matrimony. My attention kept getting diverted by the fact that my imprint was standing not even 10 feet away from me.

She looked incredible standing in a yellow dress that flowed past her knees and shaped her body perfectly. I had been surprised when Jake had first told me that Rachel and Rebecca would be standing in Ness's wedding instead of Alice and Rosalie. But Ness had wanted to make sure Jake's family was included in the ceremony. And as they wanted to keep the wedding party small, the twins were chosen as the only bridesmaids.

Fate was a fucked up thing sometimes. If Rebecca hadn't been invited to be a part of the wedding, would she have even come home? Would I have ever seen her again?

My eyes drifted over her features. The light from the lanterns above us reflected off her raven black hair. I was so mesmerized by it that I jumped when I felt a sudden jab in my back.

Quil! His not so subtle way of warning me that my staring was becoming too obvious. I was probably pissing off the husband again, not that I gave a shit about that guy, but I forced myself to turn my head and look forward.

I made myself focus on the words of the ceremony. Unfortunately, we had arrived at the point where the minister spoke to Jake and Ness about "forsaking all others." I shifted uncomfortably and kept my eyes to the ground.

If I ever had a chance to be with Rebecca, would I take it? Even if it meant ruining her marriage? Sighing softly, I knew I would. I would do anything and be anything Rebecca needed, just as long as I could have some tiny microscopic part of her life.

The minister pronounced Jake and Ness, husband and wife. They kissed as though they'd never stop, before finally breaking away and turning and walking down the aisle. Jake was smiling like an idiot. And then it was my turn to walk with Rebecca. She walked towards me tentatively.

Great…she probably thought I was insane at this point. I didn't doubt I was well on my way to becoming a full fledged lunatic. She probably had good reason to look at me like I had two heads. Still…I didn't want to scare her. I smiled softly and she immediately relaxed and put her hand on my arm.

We walked down the aisle together, Rebecca waving to people she knew on Jake's side. I reveled in the feel of her hand on me. I memorized the way the pressure felt against my jacket. It was probably going to be one of the few times she touched me, so I wanted to make sure I remembered every detail.

Once we reached the end, we split up, and Rebecca went over to Ian, who was talking to Paul. Together they walked to the area of the Cullen's backyard that had been set up as the reception area. I slowly followed and grabbed some food before walking over to the head table. Rebecca was already there, seated on Ness's left side along with Ian, Rachel, and Paul. I took my seat next to Jacob. Quil sat next to me with Claire. This was the first wedding Claire had ever been too. The kid was excited and chattered nonstop. Quil just smiled and responded whenever he was given the chance.

After we ate…me picking at my food…Alice started playing music and people began to dance. Paul and Rachel got up to dance to a slow song. Nate Uley, Sam's five-year-old son, suddenly appeared and sat in the empty seat next to Ness and began talking to her pregnant belly. Ness and Jake smiled indulgently.

"Hello baby," Nate whispered, patting Ness's gently rounded stomach. Ness gasped and put her hand over Nate's little one.

"I can feel one of the babies moving." Ness said with tears of joy in her eyes as she looked at Jacob. Turning to look back at Nate, she said, "I think the baby likes you, Nate."

Nate smiled proudly before leaning in even closer. "I like you too, baby."

He and Ness both laughed as the baby must have moved again. I noticed Jacob had a smile on his face, but he was staring intently at Nate. Wouldn't it be ironic if Ness had a girl, and Nate someday became a wolf and imprinted on her? Jake and Sam could barely stand to be around each other. It wasn't that they hated each other…far from it. But two Alphas couldn't be around each other too long without wanting to attack one another. I was pretty sure the last thing Jake would want is to have another Alpha's son imprint on his child.

I looked over at Nate. He was so innocent. I wanted to grab him and warn him.

_Don't believe in love, kid. It's a joke. _

I only hoped he wouldn't grow up to be cursed like me. My eyes drifted to my imprint who was now running a hand through Ian's hair. My stomach twisted as though I had suddenly swallowed razor blades.

I heard a commotion and turned my head away from Rebecca to see Ryan Spencer enter the reception area. Ryan was one of our brothers who'd phased around the time the Volturi had come to the area years ago. They had wanted to find out if Ness was one of their "immortal children." The Cullens had invited a bunch of their vampire friends to the area to witness the fact that Ness grew. Due to having so many vampires in the area, we ended up getting seven new wolves…Ryan, Rafe, Will, Mac, Azra, Ethan, and Tristen.

Ryan had been the youngest to change, only 11 at the time. When he was 15, his father had gotten a government job in Washington D.C. and they moved from La Push. I knew he kept in touch with his Alpha, Sam, over the years and phased whenever he could. He had recently turned 18 and decided to move back to La Push and was planning on moving in with Azra and Tristen. While I was happy that our brother had finally return, I couldn't find it in me to leave Rebecca's presence long enough to welcome Ryan back.

I heard Quil and Claire leave the table to go speak to him. I barely paid attention as I turned my gaze back to Rebecca whose head was now bent close to her husband's. I watched with a bleeding heart as Rebecca moved her mouth so that her lips locked with Ian's.

I knew I couldn't take anymore. I got up and left the head table, only to settle at a table that wasn't too far from where Rebecca sat. This spot gave me a better view of her in case I decided to look at her again…that is if she ever got through sucking face with Surfer Boy.

I glanced around the room. All the women, with the exception of Ness and the female vampires, were blurry to me. Imprinted wolves didn't see other women that weren't their imprints. Women were always slightly out of focus to the wolves, unless the woman was in pain. Great! Something else I was going to have to get used to besides the searing pain of not being able to be with my imprint. I heard some arguing and looked over to see Sam crouched next to his son at the head table.

"But Daddy…I don't wanna go." Nate suddenly yelled.

"You need to stop bothering Ness…besides, we're leaving soon," Sam said softly near Nate's ear.

With my developed hearing, I could pick up their conversation as though I were seated right next to them. I frowned as I looked at Sam. He was upset about something.

It looked like Nate was going to protest, so Sam added, "Behave or no computer for a week."

Nate started to sniffle but did as he was told. He leaned in and kissed Ness's belly and said, "night baby," before hugging Ness goodbye. Sam clutched his son with slightly trembling hands as he spoke to Jacob in a tone that was suddenly too low to hear. He pointed back at the table where Emily was sitting with their three-year-old daughter, Gracie, as well as Ryan. I turned my attention back to Rebecca. Ian said something to her that made her laugh. While I hated the idea that he was the reason she was happy, I loved the sound of Rebecca's laughter.

Before I knew it, Jake and Quil were standing next to me.

"So…I heard you imprinted on my sister," Jake said uncomfortably. I was only a little surprised that he didn't pick up on that fact last night. But he had been too busy enjoying being with his imprint to realize what had happened to me.

"I'm sorry Jake," I said. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't take my eyes off Rebecca. I heard Jacob sigh before he sat down next to me. Quil sat on the other side of me.

"What are you going to do, Embry?" Jake asked. I glanced at him and he said, "Becks has been married for nine years now and she has been very happy with Ian. I don't think they even fight."

"I don't know," I replied, breaking off his stare to look down.

The pain I felt in that moment, knowing that I could never be with Rebecca, overwhelmed me. I swallowed hard as I felt tears sting my eyes. I reached down and played with some confetti that was on the table. I thought of last year when Quil's imprint, Claire, and her family had gone on vacation for two weeks. Quil had acted like a zombie the entire time Claire was gone. Was that what my future was going to be?

Sighing, I said, "What _am_ I going to do? End up like Quil last year when Claire went to Florida…a vegetable? I mean, what's the point of imprinting if I can't be with her? Aren't we supposed to be together? Do I not even try to be with her? You tell me Jacob."

"You'll be what your imprint needs you to be," Jacob replied. "Maybe all you're meant to be is friends."

I thought back to a memory Quil had shared with me while out patrolling one night. He had tried to kiss a girl who wasn't his imprint. I didn't blame him. Claire was only nine. When he tried to kiss the other girl though, the woman turned into something that stunk and was repulsive. Same thing happened to him when he ran into his ex-girlfriend, Jessica, one day. Jessica had been the first woman Quil had ever slept with. When he saw her, she was not only blurry and smelly to him, but she even took on a reddish, demonic appearance. It was like the magic in his blood blocked him from seeing anyone that wasn't his imprint.

"Well that sucks for me then," I responded to Jacob, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "She gets to spend the rest of her life happily married, and if I even make out with a girl, she'll turn into a demonic, smelly beast."

"We're going to have the wedding party start dancing soon," Jacob said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and giving it a sympathetic squeeze. "Spend what time you can with her and just be there for her if she needs you. That's all you can do, Embry."

I nodded sadly. Jake got up and walked over to where Alice and Jasper were playing music. He said something and Alice slowed the music down and asked for the wedding party to dance.

Quil and Rachel met on the floor and started dancing. Jake went over to Ness and pulled her to him. They became instantly lost in each other. Taking a deep breath, I walked across the floor. Rebecca met me half way with an unsure smile on her face. She placed one hand on my shoulder and held her other hand out for me to hold. I did, entwining my fingers with hers.

I pulled her to me, my hand resting on her waist. I wanted to hold her closer, to bring her to me in the way that would show her how much I needed her. But I held back causing my body to ache with longing. Couldn't she see we belonged together?

I stared down at her, memorizing the way her skin seemed to glow. I bent my head slightly so that I could breathe in her lavender scent. She was sheer perfection. I suddenly felt like my heart was being ripped out of my body. Why! Why couldn't she be mine?

Rebecca looked up at me and frowned. "Why do you keep staring at me?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I don't mean to stare…it's just that…you're so beautiful."

I watched as a faint blush filled her cheeks. I wanted to press my lips against her skin to feel her warmth.

"Thank you," Rebecca replied, looking down at my shirt. "And my husband thanks you too."

That not so subtle reminder made me grimace. Like I needed to be reminded of that dick. We danced for another minute when Rebecca suddenly laughed.

"Do you remember when you were 13 and you asked me for advice on kissing?" Rebecca questioned, smiling up at me. I chuckled in return and felt her gaze linger on my face.

Seeking her advice had been a pathetic attempt on my part to get Rebecca's attention. I'd wanted to show her I was a man, so I made up some story about how I wanted to kiss this girl in my class. She had instructed me to close my eyes and not drool all over the girl.

"Yeah…I remember," I responded.

"Did it work?" Rebecca asked. "Did you ever kiss the girl?"

I stared down at her full lips and shook my head. "Not yet."

I heard Rebecca suck in a quick breath. She stared back at me and didn't look away. The world around us seemed to go hazy and sound became muted. Her eyes drifted down to my lips before returning to my eyes. Her breath became shallower. Almost subconsciously it seemed, Rebecca's body moved closer to mine. I let go of her hand and wrapped both arms around her lower back. Rebecca moved her hands so that they were around my neck. Vaguely, I heard the music in the background stop and another song start. Rebecca continued to stare at me as we danced. She shook her head, almost as though she were trying to shake off the trance we were in.

She leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, "There's something so different about you. I…I don't know what it is…but you've changed. I…"

But she didn't continue. Her body was now pressed firmly against mine. I could feel the bond between us strengthen. I felt it wrap around us like a rubber band, holding us together in an unbreakable way. And I knew Rebecca felt it too.

"Becks," I murmured, before moving my mouth to brush my lips against her ear. She shivered slightly.

The dance floor was filling up. It didn't matter…the room could have been filled with a thousand people. Only Rebecca and I existed in this world…nothing could interfere with us.

"Darling, do you mind not hanging on him like a cheap slut," Ian's voice suddenly broke through the invisible barrier that surrounded us.

Rebecca jerked away from me as though she had been electrocuted. She looked at me with confusion before looking at the ground. I felt myself begin to shake. Who the fuck was he to insult Rebecca like that? Ian immediately put his arm around her, before glaring at me.

"You realize she's married, right?" Ian stated angrily before adding, "You're making an ass of yourself."

"Ian…" Rebecca said. "We were just talking…nothing else."

I felt pain at her words. Did she really think that's all that just happened between us? I felt the change in our relationship. I knew she did too, but she was rejecting it...rejecting me.

My pain doubled as Rebecca grabbed her husband's hand and led him back to their table. She didn't look at me again. Slowly, I turned and went back to my own table. I sat down and took a shaky breath.

"Hey man," a voice said. I looked up to see Seth sitting down next to me.

"Hey," I responded. I kept my eyes on the couples dancing on the floor. Quil was twirling Claire around in circles. Seth followed my gaze and snorted.

"Well…Quil's no longer the only one who imprinted on a kid."

"What?" I asked, my attention distracted as I watched Rebecca sit on her husband's lap. She began to kiss his neck.

"Ryan…"

"What about Ryan?" I asked, my hands beginning to tremble as I watched Ian run his hand up Rebecca's thigh.

"He just imprinted on Gracie," Seth said.

"What?" I snapped out of my daze and looked over at Sam's table.

Sure enough, Ryan was staring at Sam's daughter as though she were the most precious thing in the world to him. I should have recognized it earlier when I saw Ryan sitting with Gracie and Emily. He had the dumbstruck look of someone who'd just imprinted. Sam and Emily were speaking quietly to each other. I could see Sam had a tight hold on Nate, who kept looking at Ness with longing. Now I knew what had upset Sam so much earlier. His three-year-old daughter had been imprinted on.

The idea that another one of my fellow brothers had to be punished by imprinting, mixed with the fact that I could see Ian's hand now working its way up Rebecca's inner thigh, became too much for me.

"I need to leave." I said, jerking up to my feet. Seth looked at me in surprise.

"Okay, man."

I turned my back and quickly walked towards the exit. As I was leaving, I thought I felt Rebecca's eyes on me, but when I turned around she was still kissing her husband. I went to my Jeep Wrangler and hopped in, putting it into drive before taking off. I sped to Port Angeles. I needed the long drive to try to clear my head. I started to pass a bar once I reached town and decided to stop there. Walking into the building, I went straight to the bar.

"Can I help you?" A woman's voice said. I looked up. Standing behind the bar was some blonde. Sure enough, her face was blurry. This was such fucking bullshit!

"I'd like 10 shots of straight whiskey please." That should be enough to get me slightly buzzed at least.

"For yourself?" The woman asked, peering over my shoulder.

"Yeah," I replied. I saw her shrug before turning around to get my order.

As soon as the shot glasses were in front of me, I chugged them down as quickly as possible.

"Can I get a refill?"

Dammit…I didn't even feel the slightest reaction. One of the drawbacks to being a wolf was that our body temperature burned off the effects of alcohol too quickly. It took a lot to make us drunk.

The woman reached for the bottle and filled the glasses up again. I slammed the alcohol down once more.

"Again." I nodded to her.

"What's got you drinking so badly?" The woman asked as she refilled the glasses.

"Woman problems," I muttered.

She paused before leaving the bottle in front of me. I downed the newly refilled glasses and picked up the bottle. My lips were beginning to go numb. Perfect!

"My name's Ali. Let me know if you need anything else," the woman told me before going off to help another customer.

Instead of refilling the glasses, I chugged the bottle. It was gone after two big gulps. By now, my vision started to take on a nice dreamy effect where everything seemed clouded. I moved my head and the room tilted…fucktabulous. Fucktabulous? I snorted at the word.

"Hey bueteful lady…how about something else?" I suddenly called out, waving my empty bottle around.

I frowned and repeated softly, "Bueteful…booutiful…beautiful lady." There! That sounded much better.

Ali walked back over to me and placed her elbows on the bar. She was wearing a low v-neck top. I bet her breasts she was now displaying would have looked nice if she hadn't suddenly gone from slightly blurry to completely out of focus. When I tried to focus on her face, it had a reddish, demonic tint to it and the smell coming off her was making me sick. I realized something though. Her smell was causing my nose to burn. The pain was distracting enough to make me forget about Rebecca.

Sudden sharp pain resonated through my body as I remembered my imprint. Damn it to hell! I leaned in so that I was closer to Ali. I took a deep breath and felt her scent burn my nose painfully.

"What would you like?" Ali questioned, her voice going seductive.

"Thas the million dollar question right dere." I replied, picking up her hand where it rested against the bar and bringing it to my mouth to kiss her palm. Stabbing pain lanced across my skin.

"How bout some Tequiwa?" I asked, concentrating hard on not slurry my words. I pressed my tongue to the center of her hand.

My mouth suddenly felt like it was covered in blisters. Her skin tasted like acid, so I took another lick, enjoying the painful sensation it caused. If I had to turn myself into a masochist to escape the emotional hell I was living in then so be it.

"Are you sure you haven't had enough to drink?" Ali asked. "Most people would be passed out by now."

"I'm fine," I replied, nipping at her skin with my teeth. Oh God…it hurt so much.

"Okay then…one bottle of Tequila coming up." Ali responded, breathing heavily.

I could smell the arousal coming off of her. It made me want to gag. She went and grabbed a bottle behind her and handed it to me. I chugged it down and then ordered another bottle of whiskey. I chugged half of it down before stopping.

"She's a fool, you know." Ali suddenly said.

"What?" I asked in confusion. I looked at her and almost fell off my stool. Her features were so distorted it reminded me of something from a horror movie.

"For letting you go." Ali flirted.

"Damn stwaight." I replied, before slouching in my seat.

I heard music playing from a jukebox in the corner. Some stupid damn love song was playing. I turned and chugged the rest of the whiskey down. I went to stand up but the room suddenly titled. A bubble of laughter escaped me and I sat back down.

"Ali, you can go." A guy said, coming up to us.

"Okay…thanks Don," she replied, before reaching under the bar for her purse.

"Hey bootiful…you leavin?" I slurred.

"My shifts done," Ali responded.

"Well, since you're done…how bout a dince?" I asked.

She paused for a minute before saying, "Sure…why not."

She came around the bar and I threw my arm around her. I almost stumbled as I got up, but I managed to get to my feet. We made our way to the jukebox where some other couples were dancing. I almost fell over and we weren't even moving yet.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Ali wondered.

"Absoowootly," I replied.

Ali just laughed and pressed her body against me. It felt like needles were piercing my skin. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned down and placed my lips along her throat. My lips stung like they were attacked by a nest of bees. Ali threw her head back and moaned.

"What's your name anyway?" She murmured.

"Embury," I responded. Wait…that didn't sound right…ah well, fuck it.

"Embury?"

I sighed. I didn't want to talk…I wanted to forget. I moved my mouth and pressed my lips against hers. I pushed my tongue into her mouth and wanted to cringe at the sickening feeling that action created.

"Do you have a place to sleep tonight?" Ali asked once we broke apart.

"Nope," I replied.

I pulled her lower half to me hoping for some reaction. Nothing happened. Anger began to fill me. I had never had this problem before, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let imprint magic ruin my sex life. I was only 23 for Christ's sake! Had the imprint magic rendered me impotent?

I moved her back and forth across my lower region. My body reacted only slightly. Ali sucked in a breath as she felt what was happening to me. I wanted to laugh. I wasn't even partially aroused. That was one thing about being a wolf. Everything about us was overly proportioned.

"I don't live that far from here…would you like to walk me to my place?" Ali questioned.

"Sure," I replied, smiling.

I heard her heart speed up. She grabbed my hand and we made our way out of the bar. The fresh air began to clear my senses as well as my cloudy head. With it came the realization that I was starting to drift into the pain of missing my imprint.

Dammit! I wouldn't go there. I wouldn't allow myself to become like Quil when he wasn't around Claire…completely lifeless.

We made it into her apartment. As soon as the door was closed behind us, I turned and pressed Ali against the door, moving my lips to capture hers. She pushed my suit jacket off as our tongues met again. We shed our clothes quickly, barely breaking contact. I made sure to grab a condom out of my wallet before my pants hit the floor. Ali wrapped her legs around me and directed me to her room. I was surprised I was even able to make it without falling. The mix of alcohol and physical pain were almost crippling me.

As soon as we reached her bed, I closed my eyes and let my imagination overtake me. I reached up and felt her soft hair under my fingers. It was no longer blonde in my mind, but black…long and silky. The stench that surrounded her suddenly smelled like lavender and vanilla. My body reacted fully and I could hear an excited gasp from the Rebecca I now pictured in this bed.

I pressed my mouth to her naked breasts, sucking on the hardened tips there. My hand moved down to her inner thighs and began to play with the bud of her desire. I placed one finger at her entrance and then another and began to rock my hand back and forth.

"Oh God...Embury," the Rebecca in my mind screamed. My lips smashed against hers as I continued to pleasure her with my fingers. Our tongues toyed with each other.

Her lips left mine so she could scream, "fuck me…fuck me now."

I opened my eyes only long enough to put on a condom. I didn't look at her. I didn't want the fantasy ruined. I rolled the condom on and grimaced. Even extra large ones were a little snug. I placed myself at her entrance and pushed, pressing in as far as I could go. I began to move my hips, setting a pace that soon had my Rebecca clenching around me. The sensation triggered my own response and I felt sweet release.

The pleasure was short lived as I opened my eyes and realized that it wasn't Rebecca in my arms. It was some woman whose face was distorted and who wreaked so badly that I knew I was going to vomit. I pulled out of her. She didn't even notice…she was already asleep. I jumped off the bed and ran out into the hallway. Looking frantically around, I found the bathroom and made it in time to throw up three bottles worth of alcohol into the toilet. As soon as I was done, I disposed of the condom. I felt pain wrack my body along with an overwhelming sense of guilt.

Why I felt guilty was beyond me. It wasn't like Rebecca probably wasn't doing the exact same thing with her husband at this very moment. The idea of Rebecca sleeping with anyone but me made my eyes sting and bile rise in my throat. I put my head over the toilet and emptied out the little that remained in my stomach. After I was done, I pressed my palms to my eyes. My body felt like it had been beaten with a bat. Every single inch of me hurt.

I laid on the floor and contemplated my two options. I could either continue laying here and pray that death would find me, or I could get off my ass and try to figure out how I was going to handle not being with my imprint. I stayed where I was for a half hour before I finally forced myself up.

I went to the sink and washed my hands and rinsed out my mouth. I left the bathroom and went to the front door and collected my clothes. I pulled them on gingerly. As soon as I found my shoes, I put them on and opened the apartment door quietly.

It was unreal how bad my body hurt. Still…it took my mind off the pain of having imprinted on someone I couldn't have. If having sex with someone else caused me to have insurmountable physical pain and took me away from the turmoil in my head, then I was going to do it again and again.

I wouldn't let the fact that I imprinted ruin my life. I wasn't going to sit back and let life defeat me. At least…not tonight anyway.

_**A/N – Please Review!**_


	3. Blood Splatter & Advice

**Chapter 3 – Blood Splatter & Advice**

Embry's POV

Two months…five days…13 hours…11 minutes…28 seconds…

Step.

Two months…five days…13 hours…11 minutes…29 seconds…

Step.

Two months…five days…fuck! I stopped walking through the woods to berate myself.

I had to stop this. I had to stop counting the minutes…hell, the seconds…since I last saw Rebecca. I hadn't seen or spoken to her since Jacob's wedding. From what Jacob told me, she and her husband got into a fight shortly after I left the reception, which was unusual for them considering they were the perfect couple who never argued. I wondered what triggered the argument. When I left the reception, they were practically dry humping each other.

Pain shot through me at that reminder and I cursed some more. It was ridiculous that since the wedding my life had gone into a downward spiral to hell. Everyone else seemed cheery as shit. Even Sam had calmed down after Ryan imprinted on his kid and he now…grudgingly…let Ryan have as much time as feasible with Gracie.

Ryan and Gracie were even more ridiculously cute together than Quil and Claire were when Claire was that age. The few times I had been to Sam's house, Ryan was either carrying Gracie around every where he went, or she would toddle by his side holding his hand, always seeking his attention. They worshipped each other…Ryan constantly hovered over Gracie like an overprotective brother and she lapped it up. So Ryan was happy…great, glad his imprint worked out for him.

What bugged the shit out of me was the fact that you'd think I'd get a break from the constant pain I was in. But nope, not me. Every day was a struggle for me. I felt like I was grieving someone's death. When I didn't feel a sickening emptiness inside me, I felt like I was living in the pits of hell. My body and soul hurt.

Why didn't the pain ease up? If all Rebecca wanted from me was friendship, then why wasn't that enough to release me from my torment? We're supposed to be what our imprint wants.

Except the idea of being "just friends" with Rebecca made me feel physically ill. First off, we weren't friends…friends talked to each other. I didn't even have her number to call her. Secondly, the whole idea of being friends just felt…off. It didn't make sense to me. So did that mean Rebecca needed me as more than a friend and she didn't know it? Because I knew I sure as hell needed her.

I was man enough to admit that I was in love with her and had been since I was thirteen. The crush that I thought had gone away never really had. It only deepened into something more profound without me knowing it. No wonder none of the women I had dated before I'd imprinted ever measured up. I dated plenty in high school. I had even lost my virginity before Quil and Jacob. But I never felt whole.

The incompleteness I'd always felt left the moment I laid eyes on Rebecca and then returned tenfold when Rebecca left town with her idiot husband. The only way I could deal with the longing I felt for my imprint was by repeating my conduct after I left Jacob and Ness's reception.

I got drunk almost every night and slept around. I didn't go back to Ali, the girl I met the night of the reception. Instead, I found another girl…Aerial. I slept with her a couple of times a week. I met her when she dropped her car off at the garage. She was some rich girl from Port Angeles who was out visiting friends. It took one dinner date to get her into bed. She wanted to "slum it" by sleeping with a lowly mechanic, and I got the sweet, pain-ridden oblivion I was becoming addicted to by sleeping with someone who wasn't my imprint. We were "fuck buddies." Nothing more. And after the first few times, I was even able to stop puking right after sex.

I still went to the garage during the day and worked. I still phased, though I was careful not to do it while Seth, Quil, or Jacob were out running. We were all part of Jacob's pack. If one wolf felt pain, so did the others. It wasn't fair to my brothers to be in my head. So I ran alone. Hell, I was always alone anymore.

Even now, I was walking aimlessly through the woods between Forks and La Push…just walking in human form, trying to keep my mind occupied as my stomach tried to recover from my latest alcohol binge. I found that as long as I kept my mind busy, the pain didn't consume me.

My nose suddenly started to burn. Glancing around, I was startled to realize I was getting close to the Cullen property. I debated momentarily whether to go see Jacob or not. Ness was going to have her twins any day and the littlest things set Jake off. Seth sneezed in front of Ness the other day and it took both Quil's and my strength to hold Jake back so he wouldn't pummel Seth.

"Hello Embry," a voice called out. I turned my head and smiled. I didn't even have to force it.

"Hello Esme."

You couldn't help but like Esme. If you forgot the fact that she reeked like the undead and was older than my great-grandparents, she had a gentleness about her that made you want to hug her. I stopped walking and put my hands in my pockets.

"Out hunting?" I asked.

"Yes…Carlisle wants the family to be prepared for when Ness goes into labor. We don't want a repeat of what happened to Bella when Renesmee was born." Esme smiled at me.

I was momentarily confused until I remembered Jacob telling me that Rosalie almost attacked Bella when she went into labor. Rosalie hadn't fed the days before Bella gave birth and she ended up losing control when she smelt Bella's blood. If Jacob hadn't been there to drop kick her, Rosalie may have ended up killing the love of her brother's life as well as his unborn child.

"Are you here to see Jacob?" Esme questioned kindly.

Since I had really no objective but to distract myself while out walking, I could say in all honestly that seeing Jacob and his imprint were the furthest things on my mind when I set off on my walk. But I still found myself nodding my head.

"Well, he and Ness are in the living room. If you'll excuse me…I must catch up to Carlisle," Esme responded, and with a cool breeze, she was gone.

I walked slowly to the house and let myself in. The first person I saw was Edward who was seated at his piano. Bella was sitting next to her husband on the piano bench. Edward was playing a song softly, pausing every few notes to kiss Bella on the forehead or to touch her hand. Sheesh…vampires in love were almost as bad as imprinted couples. Rosalie and Emmett were sitting in an armchair together, Rosalie on Emmett's lap as they sucked on each others' faces. I could hear Jasper and Alice in the kitchen.

Alice was trying to master cooking. It was the one thing she was really bad at, which was surprising given that you'd think she'd be able to see into the future to know when the food was done cooking. She still managed to be a failure in the kitchen, though my brothers and I forced ourselves to eat whatever crap she gave us. Whatever she was trying to cook today burned my nose more than the scent of vampire.

Jake and Ness were on the couch. Ness had her head on Jacob's lap. His one hand rested on her round belly, the other was moving soothingly through her hair. They kept looking at each other adoringly. Last night's liquor churned like acid in my stomach.

Jake looked over and noticed me standing there. "Embry…hey."

"Hey…sorry to just drop by like this. I was out for a walk and found myself headed this way."

"No problem man," Jacob replied. "The Mariners game is on soon."

I settled in a chair and began watching TV. The noise distracted me and I soon found myself relaxing, making small talk while still managing to ignore all the couples around me. Ness was soon dozing…baseball was not her thing. Jacob and I were in the middle of discussing our fantasy baseball team when Alice walked out of the kitchen holding something that smelled strangely like a combination of rotten eggs and compost.

"Embry! Just the wolf I was looking for," she exclaimed excitedly. I inwardly groaned as she walked toward me saying, "I made quiche, and I'd love to get an opinion on it."

She slid something toward me that looked like filmy sludge. The alcohol residing in my system protested angrily. No freaking way was I going to eat that. At least I didn't have to worry about offending her mate by not eating her latest monstrosity, because Jasper couldn't stand to be near me anymore. My depressed vibes were too much for him to bear.

Suddenly Ness groaned and opened her eyes. She got off the couch and took two steps before stopping. She put her hand on her stomach and sucked in a breath.

"You okay, babe?" Jake asked, his hand already reaching out for his imprint.

Ness suddenly cried out and we heard something splash on the floor. Looking down I saw blood running down Ness's legs, a pool forming between her feet. Jasper was out of the kitchen in seconds, his eyes wild as he took in the fresh scent. Jacob picked Ness up in his arms and cradled her to his chest, growling inhumanly as Jasper began to crouch in attack formation.

Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, and Edward moved to stand between Ness and Jasper. I ran over to stand next to my Alpha and his imprint. My body began to tremble. Alice threw her quiche on the floor and ran over and threw her hands up against her husband's chest.

Feeling Alice's touch on his skin snapped Jasper out of whatever stupor he was in. Shaking his head in apology, he ran…straight through one of the living room windows and took off through the trees.

"Jacob! Get Ness upstairs to Carlisle's office," Edward ordered. "Rosalie, go find Carlisle."

Jake and Rosalie ran to do what Edward instructed. Looking at Bella, Edward added gently, "Bella love, why don't you get some fresh air."

With a tearless sob, Bella took off immediately through the broken window. She had only been a vampire for seven years now, and while she did well around humans, fresh blood was harder for her to handle. Alice looked at the floor that was covered in blood splatter and then sadly at the broken window.

"I'm going to try to find Jazz," she said, before walking out the door. Edward was already headed upstairs.

Emmett and I just started at each other blankly when we heard a sudden loud thump upstairs followed by Edward cursing. Emmett began to snicker.

"Sounds like Jacob's just took a nosedive," Emmett joked, his smile turning evil. "I'm so giving him shit for that."

"He's connected to Ness…he feels her pain as though it were his own. She must be in a lot of pain…even more so than what's normal," I explained. Emmett immediately stopped smiling and looked worriedly at the ceiling.

"Embry…I need your help," Edward called out. I ran up the stairs and went into Carlisle's office.

"Jake…Jake…" Ness kept muttering softly, reaching out for Jacob, who was passed out on the floor next to the table she was on.

"Ness honey…you need to take these pills," Edward pleaded with his daughter. I could see he was trying to give her morphine to knock her out.

"Jake," Ness cried.

"Jake would want you to take the pills," I said, reaching out and grabbing her hand, which was waving aimlessly in the air for her husband.

Feeling the warmth of my hand, so similar to Jake's, Ness began to calm down. She took the pills and minutes later her eyes rolled to the back of her head and the tension left her body. Carlisle and Rosalie came running through the door. Edward, upon seeing his sister, began to growl ferociously.

"Rose, why don't you go downstairs and help Esme clean up the blood," Carlisle said calmly.

"I want to help…I've gorged myself on blood the past few days in preparation for this," Rosalie pleaded.

"We have enough help," Carlisle said, nodding towards me. He began to feel Ness's stomach, a frown forming on his face. Edward was still growling angrily.

Sighing, Carlisle looked up, "Please do as I asked Rosalie."

Giving me a bitter look, she turned and left the room. Edward instantly quieted, his eyes turning towards his daughter.

"What do you think Carlisle?" He asked worriedly.

"Ness has reached full maturity. Her body has become immortal. I doubt she'll be able to have more kids after this. If Jacob hadn't gotten her pregnant when he did, I don't think they would have ever had children together."

"Saving her this pain," Edward replied surly. He was giving Jacob's unconscious form a look that made me nervous. I moved protectively over to my Alpha.

Reading my mind, Edward relaxed slightly and chuckled. "Don't worry, Embry, I have no intention of killing my son-in-law. First of all, Bella wouldn't like it. Secondly, killing my daughter's husband would cause Ness unbearable pain, which I would never do to her. So relax your stance."

I relaxed only slightly as I turned my attention back to Carlisle. He ran a scalpel along Ness's flesh. It broke the blade.

"Edward, I'm going to have to use my teeth to get the children out," Carlisle explained, looking up at Edward. Edward nodded slowly.

Carlisle looked at me, "Embry, I'm going to need your help too. When I pull the first baby out, I'll hand it to you. Edward, I'll need you to take the next one, so that I can focus on Ness. I won't be able to use stitches on her skin, so I'll have to use tape and gauze. Her skin should mend itself."

Edward and I both nodded, although I was more than a little disturbed. How the hell did I get myself into this? I watched with a horror I couldn't quite hide as Carlisle bit into Ness's flesh. He made a precise line down her stomach before lifting his head and parting the ripped flesh. He reached in and pulled out the first baby.

"A boy," Carlisle said before biting the cord and holding the baby out for me to take. I reached over hesitantly.

"Make sure you support his neck," Edward instructed.

I placed a hand underneath Jacob's son's neck and moved him so that he was cradled in my arms. He squirmed for a minute before looking up at me with eyes too intelligent for a newborn. I remembered Ness had been the same way. Freaky cross-species babies.

I heard a cry from the operating table and looked up to see Carlisle passing a baby to Edward.

"Edward, take your granddaughter," Carlisle stated. "I need to bandage Ness up."

Esme entered the room. "The blood is cleaned up downstairs."

She walked over to me to peer at her great-grandson. The girl continued to cry. Jacob stirred on the floor and sat up, putting a hand to his head.

"Jacob, say hello to your son and daughter," Esme said, cooing at the boy in my arms.

"A girl and a boy…" Jacob said, emotion making his voice husky. He got up cautiously from the floor before asking, "How's Nessie?"

"She'll be okay," Carlisle responded as he finished wrapping a bandage around Ness's incision.

I walked over and handed the baby to Jacob. Tears welled in his eyes as he stared at his son. The baby was still covered in blood and fluid, but it was obvious he resembled Jake already.

"What are you going to call them?" Esme asked, as she peered over Edward's shoulder to stare at the girl.

"Ness and I talked about a few names, but our top choice for a boy was Gabriel, after my maternal grandfather."

"And for your daughter."

"Well…we decided to name her after Ness's great-grandmother Wilhemenia. But we'll just call her Meena."

"You're going to name her after my mother?" Esme asked.

If vampires could cry, Esme would have been balling by now. The air was filled with a quiet joy as Rosalie, Emmett, and Bella entered the room. Rosalie and Bella immediately began to fuss over the babies. Emmett just smirked and started making fun of Jacob for fainting.

The jovial moment was ruined by a sharp gasp from Edward.

"What?" Jacob said, instantly frantic for his daughter as he made his way over to them.

"Meena bit me…it stung."

Carlisle stopped working on Ness for a minute and looked at Edward in surprise before returning to his administrations. "She's venomous? Strange that she inherited that when Ness didn't. Jake, perhaps you shouldn't hold your son until we know for sure if he's venomous or not. We wouldn't want him to bite you."

Jacob refused to let go of his son, even as Bella reached for him.

"Ness came out and bit Bella as soon as she was born, because it was part of her nature…to act as a vampire. Did Gabriel bite anyone?" Jake asked. We shook our heads.

"You think he's going to take after you?" Carlisle asked.

Jake just shrugged. "Maybe. It would explain why Ness craved blood and human food while she was pregnant. Normally, she doesn't eat solid foods unless she has too."

"Well, we don't want to risk anything," Bella said.

She went over and placed her finger gently in between Gabriel's lips. He opened his eyes to glare at his grandmother before biting down on her finger in protest. Bella removed her finger and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"Nope, not venomous, but I'd say he's hungry. Rose, can you get him a bottle? I don't think Ness is going to wake up anytime soon and who knows if she'll be able to feed them. My granddaughter will need a bottle of blood."

"Meena," Jacob said softly, his eyes glowing as he looked over at his daughter, who Edward was still holding. "Meena and Gabriel."

Once Carlisle was finished, he took first Gabriel, then Meena, and cleaned them off and measured them. Jake went back to hold Ness's hand who was still unconscious. Rosalie came back in with two bottles, one filled with a cloudy white substance, the other filled with red liquid. Bella and Rose each took a child and began to feed them. Jake went to take his daughter from Bella.

"Jake, I don't want you to get hurt," Bella protested.

"I'm not going to avoid contact with my daughter for the rest of our existence," Jacob said firmly, reaching out for Meena.

Bella reluctantly handed the baby over to her father. Meena opened her eyes and stared at Jacob. It must have been an extreme temperature change for the kid. One minute she's in ice cold arms, the next, burning heat.

"Wow…look at those eyes. I've never seen a color so green before," Jacob murmured as Meena continued to stare at him. She smiled angelically at him and Jacob added, "don't bite your father," before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Meena made a cooing noise in response and I saw Jacob fall in love all over again. He took the bottle of blood and began to feed his daughter as he walked back over to Renesmee. Gabriel made a crying sound and Rosalie took him to the other side of the table Ness laid on. The rest of the Cullens, Jasper and Alice now included, surrounded the babies and began chattering excitedly.

Feeling like a third wheel and still feeling disturbed by the violence of the twins' birth, I left the room and made my way outside to the Cullens' backyard. I sat down on a boulder that wasn't too far from the backdoor and placed my elbows on my knees and took a few deep breaths, trying to control my nausea. I don't know how long I sat out there, before I heard light footsteps. I knew who it was even before the smell hit me. I sat up straight and looked expectantly.

"Embry, I want to apologize to you," the Doc stated. "I put you in grave danger today by having you assist with the birth. If Gabriel was venomous and bit you, he could have killed you. I wrongly assumed that because Renesmee wasn't venomous, her children wouldn't have inherited that particular gene."

I couldn't help but wonder if being bitten wouldn't have been so bad. Vampire venom was lethal to us…if I'd been bit, wouldn't I at least be out of my misery?

Still, I responded, "Don't worry about it."

Sighing, Carlisle added, "You would think that because the children are only a quarter- vampire that that part of their nature would be diluted. We still have a lot to learn about these hybrids."

He looked over at me and smiled, "I also wanted to thank you for all your help tonight. You're very calm under pressure."

"Yeah…it was no problem," I muttered.

"Edward said your presence calmed Ness down while Jacob was unconscious. She was refusing to take the morphine until she felt another wolf's presence."

I shrugged not knowing how to respond. The doctor looked off in the distance as though debating with himself about something. Finally, he turned to me and I felt a flash of dread.

"So Embry," Carlisle said hesitantly, "Jacob told me about your imprint situation."

When I didn't say anything, he added, "I hope you don't mind him confiding in me. He's worried about you."

I shrugged again and looked ahead. I wanted to tell him that I didn't feel like discussing this with him. I wanted to tell him to mind his own damn business, but I couldn't. For one thing, I truly liked the Doc and knew he wasn't trying to pry. For another, if I was disrespectful to Jacob's grandfather-in-law, Jacob would go all Alpha on my ass.

I looked at Carlisle and snorted. I couldn't help it. The idea of him being anyone's grandfather made me laugh, especially when I compared him to Quil's grandfather. Hell, i_I_/i looked older than Carlisle.

"So…how are you handling things…it must be very difficult for you to be away from your imprint."

Before I knew what I was doing, I was pouring my heart out to the Doc. I told him everything…how it felt to imprint, my feelings for Rebecca even before I became a wolf, how I didn't understand why I was in such pain if my imprint didn't want or need me, and I confessed the fact that I was turning myself into an alcoholic man-whore to escape my pain.

"From what I understand of imprinting," Carlisle said once I finished speaking, "It isn't about just finding a mate to pass on the genetic line…it's about finding your match…physically, emotionally, and mentally. Whether Rebecca needs you as a friend or something else though is yet to be determined. Maybe you feel so much pain and longing because your fate is undecided still."

Carlisle walked over to me and gently squeezed my shoulder before stepping back.

"I'm sure there's a reason the imprint magic in your blood chose Rebecca as your mate," Carlisle continued. "In the meantime…perhaps there's a better way to occupy your mind other than alcohol and women."

"What did you have in mind?" I asked somewhat sarcastically. My methods were working fine by me.

"Have you ever thought about college? Jacob said you were the smartest kid in your class in high school."

"Why would I want to go to college? Quil and I are running the garage and doing pretty well too."

Carlisle smiled at me before looking away. "But what are you passionate about Embry? What was the job you always wanted to do when you were a kid?"

I thought about it for a minute, before shrugging, "I always liked science and math…I used to think about becoming a teacher….I don't know…"

Carlisle nodded, "I think you'd make a fine teacher. You kept your cool tonight and have a high tolerance level. Think about college…I think you'd find a lot of satisfaction in putting your energy and concentration on something more challenging than the path you're currently on."

With that Carlisle got up and left. I sat where I was for a few minutes before getting up and walking into the woods to head back to La Push. College? Did I really want to do that? Would it be enough of a distraction to make me stop thinking about Rebecca?

I stopped walking when I realized that it was the first time I had consciously thought of Rebecca since leaving the Cullen house. I mean…she was always in the back of my mind, but it was the first time in months where she wasn't my foremost thought. Maybe school was the answer.

I thought about it some more over the next couple of months and decided to get some information from the colleges in the area. The closest four-year college to me was over three hours away…still I could run in wolf form and be there within 45 minutes, maybe less.

I was still debating it after another pain inducing night of sex with Aerial when I got a call from Jacob one morning. He had some news and wanted to give me as much advance notice as possible.

Rebecca was coming back for a visit.

_**A/N – Thank you again for all your support so far for this story! As always, please review!**_


	4. Something In The Way She Knows

_A/N – Chapter title credit goes to The Beatles._

**Chapter 4 – Something In The Way She Knows**

Embry's POV

I released my Jeep's steering wheel and wiped my hands nervously on my jean shorts. I was sitting outside of Billy Black's home working up the courage to see Rebecca. I was supposed to pick her up and take her to the Cullen house.

Paul and Rachel were originally going to take her, but Rachel was a couple of months pregnant and woke up with cramps, so Paul was taking her to the doctor's instead. Rebecca was going to go with her sister, but Rachel insisted that Rebecca go see Jake's twins.

After all, they were the reason she decided to come home. Jacob thought it was strange considering that she never came home even when Rachel and Paul's son, Devlin, was born. But apparently Rebecca had gotten over her dislike for La Push when she came back for Jake's wedding.

Anxiously, I checked my hair in the mirror, patting it down slightly, before finally opening the car door and stepping outside. A light spring wind brushed gently against me, carrying the scent of woods and ocean with it. I walked towards Billy's house and knocked on the door.

"Embry," Billy said as soon as he opened it. "Come on in."

"Hey Billy, how are you?" I asked as I stepped into the house.

"Good…so you're here to pick up Becks, huh?"

"Yeah," I replied, looking towards the back of the house. I could feel the pull to my imprint leading me in that direction. Taking a deep breath, I picked up her sweet scent of lavender and vanilla.

"You know Embry…" Billy started to say. His tone made me glance down at him warily. "Both girls took their mother's death especially hard. It's been disappointing not getting to see Becks a lot over the years. I love my daughter very much…I'd hate for her to get hurt when she's already suffered so much."

"I'd hate for that to happen too," I responded cautiously.

"Ian is a good man, from what I know of him, and Becks has seemed very happy with him, I…I just don't her to get hurt." Billy repeated.

"I'm not looking to screw up her marriage." _Liar._ "I just want to be there for her…be whatever she needs me to be."

Billy looked at me for a moment, as though testing my sincerity, before slowly nodding his head.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Embry…you've always been like a part of our family. I hate that you're hurting because of this situation."

"I'll live," I replied. I had so far anyway.

"Becks is out in the backyard with Devlin. She's waiting for you."

"Thanks Billy," I nodded and headed out the back door.

I stopped as I took in the sight before me. Rebecca was chasing Devlin around the backyard. Devlin was running as fast as his little two-year-old legs could carry him. He let out a shriek when Rebecca finally "caught" him. Both started laughing as Rebecca held Devlin's back to her chest and began to twirl him in circles, his little legs flying out. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the merriment on Rebecca's angelic face. She was so beautiful. My heart ached slightly just staring at her.

Rebecca stopped moving and set Devlin on his feet. He instantly turned and held up his arms for her to pick him up again.

"Again Aunt Becca…again," Devlin pleaded.

"No more…your Aunt Becca is getting too old for that." Rebecca replied, bending down to kiss Devlin's soft hair.

I did a quick calculation. I had just turned 24, which meant Rebecca was going to be 28 this year. Hardly a senior citizen. I took a step toward her to reassure her of that fact, when she saw my movement and straightened up. She looked at me and then let out a small sigh…was it of relief or because she was stuck with me as her escort? Rebecca's face broke out into a smile as she walked up to me and gave me a brief hug. My heart leaped in my throat as I felt her breasts press against my chest.

"Hey, long time no see. What's it been, three months?" Rebecca joked.

Four months…twelve days…seven hours…and fifty-six seconds…but who was counting really?

"Something like that," I muttered in response.

Devlin came running over to me, yelling, "Unca Embee."

I leaned down and picked Devlin up, throwing him slightly in the air, before catching him and putting him gently on the ground. He wrapped his little arms around my legs for a brief hug before running over and grabbing Rebecca's hand.

"I still feel bad about going to the party when I don't know how Rachel is doing," Rebecca remarked.

"Paul said he'd call as soon as he had an update. And Rachel said she wanted you to see the twins before they got any bigger." I returned.

It was true too. The twins were only a few months old, but they already looked like they were about six months. Rebecca bit her lip in hesitation. Because I couldn't help myself, I reached out and ran my hand soothingly up and down her arm.

Rebecca closed her eyes momentarily and leaned into the warmth of my hand. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she took a step back. My hand dropped uselessly to my side.

She smiled briefly in my direction, avoiding my eyes. Rebecca turned her attention back to her nephew.

"Why don't we go inside and get you and grandpa some lunch before Embry and I have to leave."

"S'kay," Devlin replied.

We walked into the house where Billy was watching TV. As soon as he saw Devlin, he hit the remote control and turned the channel from sports to a cartoon. Now that was love for you. I didn't think anything came between Billy and his sports. Rebecca took her and Devlin's coats off and hung them up before heading towards the kitchen. I turned and followed her.

"Can I help?" I asked, watching as she began to pull out cheese and bread as well as a pan.

"Sure," Rebecca responded in surprise. "Can you open a can of tomato soup and pour it into a pan? Pans are under the counter there."

She pointed to where everything was and I began getting the soup ready as Rebecca made grilled cheese sandwiches. We worked in compatible silence, but I was aware of every move…hell, every breath Rebecca took.

Rebecca got Devlin and put him in the extra booster seat Paul and Rachel kept at Billy's house. Billy came into the kitchen and both began to eat their lunches hungrily.

"Is there anything else I can get you, Dad?" Rebecca asked.

"No…you kids get going, Dev and I will be fine." Billy replied, feeding Devlin some soup, before taking a large bite out of his sandwich.

Rebecca nodded and went to grab her jacket and purse. We said goodbye and made our way outside. I opened up my Jeep passenger door for her before walking around the front and getting in the driver's side. I saw Rebecca watching me with a strange expression on her face.

"What?" I said with a nervous laugh.

"It's not exactly warm out…aren't you cold?" Rebecca asked as she eyed my grey t-shirt and jean shorts.

Note to self…Rebecca obviously knows nothing about the pack.

"Nah…I'm toasting warm…feel." I said, holding out my arm. She placed her hand against my skin briefly. The touch of her hand on me made my pulse beat wildly, as though some crazed bongo drummer was beating on my insides frantically.

"Yeah…I noticed earlier when I hugged you that you felt warm, but…you're really hot."

"Thanks," I told her, winking at her. Rebecca rolled her eyes in response.

"Wow." Rebecca shook her head, but I could see the smile playing on her lips. "I meant that your skin is really hot."

"Oh, is that what you meant?" I joked, keeping my eyes on the road as I drove.

"Are you sick?" Rebecca asked. I looked over and saw the concern in her eyes. The bongo player was now doing cartwheels….she cared.

"No, I'm not sick," I responded. "It's just a genetic condition some of the guys on the Rez have. It's nothing to worry about, I promise."

I looked into her eyes briefly and saw her release a breath that she seemed to be holding. She smiled at me and I felt it warm my entire body from head to toe. I turned my attention back to the road.

"By the way…at the party," I explained. "If Alice Cullen said she made any of the food, avoid it. Trust me, your innards will thank you for it later."

"Okay," Rebecca laughed and my heart sang.

"So what do you do in Hawaii?" I asked. As much as a part of me didn't want to remind her of her other life…the life away from me and La Push…I was also obsessively curious to know as much about her as possible.

"My friend and I own an art gallery," Rebecca responded, looking out the passenger window.

"Really?"

"Yeah…mostly photography, but we also feature local artists."

"Does that keep you pretty busy?" I asked and watched Rebecca nod as she looked at me.

"We live in Waikiki on Oahu….we get a lot of tourists come through." Rebecca replied.

"Waikiki…that's southeast of Honolulu, right?" I questioned, trying to picture Rebecca's life in my head as accurately as possible.

"Yeah," Rebecca answered. "When Ian and I first married we lived on the northern part of the island…near Sunset Beach. It has some of the best surfing action in the world, but when Ian decided to open up his surfing school, we moved to Waikiki. The waves there are pretty ideal for tourists who want to learn how to surf."

Since I didn't give a flying fart in space about Ian, I directed the conversation back on Rebecca.

"Do you paint? I don't remember you being big into that when you lived here," I said.

"No…I got into photography shortly after I moved to Hawaii…I found it to be really therapeutic after Mom died. I could just get behind the lens and see a whole new view of the world. It kind of became an escape for me."

I reached over and squeezed Rebecca's hand gently as it laid next to her side. Rebecca looked at me curiously. I smiled back.

"I know Sarah would be very proud of you, Becks," I told her. I could see Rebecca swallow.

"Thank you Embry," she replied in a tone that hinted that she was trying to hold back tears. Shit…I didn't want to make her sad.

"So…what do you think of Jacob…you know, being a father and all?" I asked.

"It's scary…very scary," Rebecca replied and we both started laughing and exchanging stories of Jacob as a kid.

We soon arrived at the Cullen house. I jumped out of the car and hurried to open her door for her. She was already half way out before I could get to her. I shut the Jeep's door and pressed my hand lightly on her back as we headed towards the house.

Alice opened the door and drew Rebecca in for a quick hug before releasing her and guiding us into the living room. All of the Cullens but Carlisle were present along with most of Sam's pack and Jacob's. The only one that was really missing was Leah, who was studying for her finals in college. She currently lived in Seattle with her boyfriend, Dylan. Leah had given up pack life a couple of years ago anyway. Jacob walked over to us and gave his sister a hug, lifting her off her feet.

"C'mon, you gotta see the kids," Jake said excitedly, acting like a child himself. He brought Rebecca over to Ness and Bella who were each holding a twin.

"They're beautiful Jake," Rebecca replied, sitting down on the couch next to Ness who was holding Meena. "Wow…they're really big for their age."

"Genetic condition," Edward spoke up from where he stood next to Bella.

I saw that Rebecca was leaning slightly away from all of the Cullens. Her human instinct subconsciously was telling her that predators were nearby. Edward smiled in my direction as he read my thoughts.

"Genetic condition," Rebecca repeated. "That seems to happen a lot in this area. They must take after their father."

She looked pointedly at Jake then me. I suddenly became fascinated with Gabriel who eyeing his aunt curiously. Jacob looked at me knowingly.

"This condition is from their mother's side," Jake explained. "The kids will grow fast, but that'll slow down eventually…same thing happened to Ness and she came out perfect."

Jake sat down on Ness's other side. He leaned in and kissed the side of his wife's head. Ness turned and beamed at Jake, pressing herself against him. Seth made a gagging noise. Quil went up and hit him on the back of the head.

I moved so that I could stand closer to Rebecca….well, hover was a better description of what I was doing. I didn't like that she was so close to Meena. If Meena bit her, Rebecca would either die or be transformed into a vampire.

"Do you want to hold her?" Ness asked, already placing Meena in Rebecca's arms.

My own arms began to tremble. Jake got up from where he was sitting and came up to me. He put his arm around me, giving me a squeeze in warning.

"Relax," he said in a tone humans wouldn't be able to hear. "We told the kids that their aunt was coming to visit them and no biting was allowed."

I couldn't relax though as Rebecca leaned in close and kissed Meena's forehead. Meena smiled in return, flashing her bright green eyes at her aunt.

"She's so beautiful," Rebecca sighed. "You're going to have to beat the boys off with a stick when she gets older."

"Nope, she's not allowed to date until she's 30," Jake responded immediately.

Rebecca just laughed, "So says the kid who had his first girlfriend when he was ten."

"Oh," Ness replied. "Do tell."

"It was nothing," Jake said, glaring at his sister before saying through clenched teeth, "Nothing, right sis?"

"Her name was Libby Gibson," Rebecca said, ignoring her brother. "She was Jake's first kiss."

"Dude, I didn't know you dated Libby," Quil spoke up. "And you kissed her?"

"Of course not," Jake replied, his ears turning red. He looked at Ness who raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay…I might have kissed her. I was only ten."

Quil snorted, "Yeah, I kissed her too."

"So did I," I laughed.

Emmett snorted, "Aww…Jakeipoo's first kiss was with the class hussy."

People started laughing. Jake's face had now turned completely red.

Ness took pity on her husband and kissed him before saying, "I bet she thought you were the best though."

"I don't know about that," Collin spoke up. "Embry, wasn't she the first girl you slept with?"

It was my turn to be embarrassed. If Collin was standing next to me, I would have cheerfully beaten his face in. I silently cursed the lack of privacy we had while in wolf form. Everyone else started to laugh and began making remarks. I glanced down to see how Rebecca was reacting. She continued to stare at Meena, but her mouth seemed to be a little tight.

"Uncle Embry, you had a sleepover with a girl?" Nate, Sam's son, perked up and asked. All of us were suddenly reminded of the children's presence. Sam had brought both his kids over, though Gracie was currently being distracted by Ryan.

"No," I responded carefully. "We fell asleep watching TV together…that was all Collin meant."

That was technically true too…that had happened once. Nate seemed satisfied with my answer. Emmett made a comment that sounded like "poor Libby" and started to snicker diabolically. I heard Meena let out a slight mew and looked back down at her and Rebecca.

"She's incredible…and heavy," Rebecca murmured. She leaned close to the baby to breathe in Meena's scent. "I love the smell of babies…but…Meena has such a unique scent…I mean I smell baby powder, but…"

We all seemed to freeze as Rebecca continued to analyze Meena's unusual scent.

"She smells like a mix of flowers and something you'd find in the forest…almost like…wildflowers." Rebecca smiled as she nailed the scent.

Nate suddenly came up to Rebecca and peered at Meena.

"She's my favorite," Nate whispered as he waved at Meena. Meena instantly began to squirm in response.

"You don't like Gabriel?" Rebecca asked, as she tried to hold onto Meena who was reaching out for Nate.

"He's all right," Nate responded dismissively. "But Meena's the bestest."

Meena began to cry.

"Go ahead and put her on the floor, she'll be okay," Jake said.

Rebecca did what Jake recommended and put Meena on the floor. The baby began a slow crawl towards Nate who moved to the middle of the floor and sat down. She reached his lap and crawled into it, cooing contentedly.

I turned my attention back to Rebecca who was now holding Gabriel. Gabe was trying his best to win his aunt over by giving her his best toothy smile. She began to murmur little comments to him and he would gurgle in response.

"Oh…I want one," Rebecca finally said. "Maybe Ian and I will have to get working on that when I get home."

The room got uncomfortably quiet for a moment before everyone started talking at once. I felt like I had been hit in the stomach with a fist full of nails. The idea of Rebecca's body swollen with another man's child was enough to make me want to punch a hole through the wall. I walked away quickly and went outside to the backyard, taking a deep calming breath as I felt the moist air on my face. It had begun to rain. I lifted my face up to the sky and let the moisture soak my skin.

"Hey…you okay?" Rebecca asked from behind me.

"Fine," I could barely say. Rebecca came to stand next to me. She was by herself.

"No you're not," Rebecca said, looking up at me. "I know you're not."

"Really…it's nothing," I tried to assure her by plastering a fake smile on my lips.

My body still burned from thoughts of Rebecca and Ian having a baby together. Heat flooded my spine and I desperately wanted to phase, but I resisted, knowing my imprint was too close to me and I could hurt her. As it was, I had to force myself not to reach out and touch the softness of her cheek. Rebecca stared at me for a moment before shaking her head.

"What is it about you?" She said almost to herself.

"What?" I asked, my heart suddenly starting to pound heavily.

"What?" Rebecca responded, confusion in her tone.

"You said, 'what is it about you?'"

"Oh," Rebecca replied, her cheeks developing a faint blush, but she still continued to stare into my eyes. "It's just that…"

"What?" I practically pleaded.

She smiled slightly, finally breaking eye contact to look at the river in the distance.

"You'll think I'm crazy," Rebecca replied, biting her lip nervously.

"Try me."

Rebecca turned back to look at me. "It's like…I don't know…I just…I just know when something's not right with you. Weird?"

"Not weird," I said. I finally gave in and caressed Rebecca's cheek. It felt exactly how I knew it would. Like satin. Rebecca trembled at my touch, but didn't back away or protest. I moved closer to her.

"Hey," Jake's voice suddenly called out. Rebecca took a step back and the moment was ruined. I turned to glare angrily at Jake. He had apology in his eyes mixed with sorrow.

"What is it Jake?" Rebecca asked.

"Paul just called…Rachel lost the baby."

"I need to get to the hospital," Rebecca said instantly.

"I'll take you." I offered.

"No, Jake can take me." Rebecca said. "You're going right?"

"Yeah, but I've got to pick up dad first," Jake replied.

"I'll take you," I repeated.

I felt sick and selfish for my insistence. But Rebecca was hurting because her twin was suffering. I couldn't leave her now if I tried. It would literally kill me to part from her when she was in this much pain.

"Fine," Rebecca finally gave in. "Can we go then?"

I already had my car keys out of my pocket. We both raced through the house and went out the front door with barely a goodbye. I hopped in the Jeep and we headed towards Forks General. Carlisle was at the nurse's station when we arrived. He looked up when he saw us.

"Embry…Rebecca…" Carlisle nodded to us, sympathy on his marble features as he walked towards us. "I wish there was more we could have done."

"How's my sister?" Rebecca asked immediately.

"She's okay…she's sore, but we have her medicated."

"Can I see her?" Rebecca wondered.

"Certainly…this way," Carlisle said and we followed. As soon as we walked into the room, Paul came up to me, his eyes tormented.

"I need to leave for a few minutes," Paul said. I watched as his hands trembled in warning. Paul hadn't phased in years, so it said something for the little control he was holding on to now.

"Okay," I said. Paul nodded and turned back to Rachel who was laying on her side, staring blankly into space.

"I'm so sorry, but I need to leave for a few minutes." Paul said in a tone that begged for forgiveness.

Rachel looked at the state Paul was in and murmured her consent. Paul leaned down and kissed his wife on the lips and then on the forehead before turning and heading towards where I was standing.

"Don't leave her," Paul ordered.

"I won't…take as much time as you need," I replied. I cupped his shoulder in sympathy.

His shaking worsened and Paul quickly left the hospital room. I turned my attention back to Rebecca. She was now standing in front of her twin, her forehead pressed to Rachel's as she ran her hand soothingly threw Rachel's hair.

Rachel began to sob now that Paul wasn't around to see her pain. Rebecca quickly went to the other side of the bed and climbed on it. She pressed herself to Rachel's back and wrapped her arm carefully around Rachel's stomach. Rachel grabbed her twin's arm and moved her arm over Rebecca's, trapping it against her. Their faces were completely identical, both stricken with grief.

Rebecca scooted herself even closer and began whispering in a tone that I wouldn't have been able to hear if I didn't have sonic hearing.

"I love you…I'm here," Rebecca murmured over and over again.

Eventually, Rachel calmed down and began to fall asleep. Jake and Billy soon arrived. I brought a finger up to my lips in warning when I saw them. They carefully entered the room, Billy immediately going over to his daughter's bed.

"Where's Paul?" Jacob asked quietly.

"I think he phased," I whispered lowly.

Jacob's eyes widened momentarily before he said, "I should call Sam and let him know since Paul was in his pack. Maybe he'll be able to help him."

Jake left the room and came back a short time later saying Sam was going to find Paul.

Feeling useless, I offered to get everyone some food but no one wanted anything. I was worried about Rebecca. We didn't have time to eat before we left for the hospital.

"Where's Devlin?" Rebecca asked her father quietly.

"Sue Clearwater is watching him," Billy responded.

Paul and Sam entered the room about an hour after Paul had left. Paul's eyes were noticeably red. He went straight to Rachel and wiped his hand across her tear stained cheek. Jacob got out of the chair he was sitting in and gave it to Paul. Paul sat down and grabbed his wife's hand…the one not holding on to her twin for dear life. He brought her hand to his cheek and pressed it against his skin.

Rachel woke up and caressed Paul's cheek, before sleepily saying hello to her father and brother. Seconds later, she was out again. Everyone stayed for a couple more hours, Sam included in case Paul needed to phase again. But Paul remained in control of himself.

The sky had darkened before anyone made any movements to leave. Paul reassured Sam that he was okay and Sam left, taking Billy with him back to La Push. Jake needed to get back to Ness and the twins so he decided to leave, saying he'd be back the next day.

I remained where I was as Paul sat staring at Rachel for hours and Rebecca dozed lightly on the bed while still holding onto her twin. Finally around 3 am, Rebecca decided it was time to leave. The hospital had brought in a bed for Paul to sleep on since he refused to leave Rachel. Rebecca climbed off the bed and hugged Paul before giving her sister a good night kiss on the cheek…not that Rachel noticed. She was knocked completely out.

We made our way silently to my Jeep. I opened Rebecca's door for her, before getting in the vehicle myself. I started the car and began the drive back to La Push. We didn't say anything during the drive. Once we arrived at Billy's, we sat in silence for a moment. I didn't want to leave her. I knew as soon as I opened the door, we would be parted. Unfortunately for me, Rebecca took the choice right out of my hands.

"Thanks," Rebecca said before opening her car door. I jumped out and met her as she walked towards the house. She looked at me questioningly.

"There are a lot of undesirables lurking in the woods in this area," I told her. "I'd feel better walking you to your door."

She opened her mouth to argue and then closed it again as though too tired to carry on a conversation. As we reached the front door, Rebecca inserted the key and unlocked it. As she pushed it open, I heard a sob escape her mouth. Unable to stop myself, I picked my imprint up and held her against me as I carried her inside. The room was pitch black, but I had no trouble finding the living room couch in the darkness. I sat down with Rebecca on my lap.

She pressed her nose to my neck and sobbed out the sorrow she felt for her twin's grief. I held her to me, kissing her hair, and murmuring assurances to her. After some time, she finally gained a little control over herself and pulled slightly back.

"Thank you Embry…thank you for being such a rock today. Thank you for staying with me when you didn't have to," Rebecca whispered.

"You're welcome," I whispered back.

Rebecca's hands, which were nestled on her lap, moved slowly to my shoulders before gliding to my neck, continuing on until she was holding my cheeks in her hands.

"Embry," Rebecca said my name on a whispering breath.

And with that one word, Rebecca began to lean towards me, her face inches from mine as her lips parted in need.


	5. Eavesdroppers Never Prosper

**Chapter 5 – Eavesdroppers Never Prosper**

Embry's POV

"Embry," Rebecca said my name on a whispering breath.

And with that one word, Rebecca began to lean towards me, her face inches from mine as her lips parted in need.

My own lips separated in eager anticipation. I felt her moist breath on my face. Blood began to race through every part of my body, including the area her bottom rested against as she sat on my lap. My eyes closed as her lips moved even closer to me. They flew open again as I felt her mouth press firmly to my cheek.

"Good night Embry…thank you again for everything," Rebecca said softly, before getting up off my lap casually as though she wasn't aware of the raging hard-on I was now sporting.

She felt her way through the darkness and was halfway down the hall, before my brain returned to my head. Jumping up, I followed her and gently grabbed her arm.

"Becks, what time are you going to the hospital tomorrow?" I asked.

"I don't know," she responded. "I'll probably leave around 7 or 8 am."

"I'll see you bright and early then," I told her before turning and heading towards the front door.

"Em, you don't have to do that," Rebecca called out quietly. I loved hearing her call me Em.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I responded.

I walked out the door and made my way to my Jeep. I got in and headed to my house. As I drove, I lifted a hand to my face where I could still feel the imprint of Rebecca's lips on my cheek.

I pulled up next to my house. It really was nothing but a shack that overlooked the ocean. The bedroom, living room, and kitchen were all in one big room. It also had a tiny closet and bathroom included to the left of my "bedroom." It was hardly livable, but in the morning, I could look out the back window and see the water and beach not far below.

I entered the house and quickly stripped off my clothes and ran into the shower, turning it on so that the ice cold water hit my aroused flesh. After I finally got my body to relax, I ran outside, not bothering to get dressed.

I needed to get back to Rebecca, even if it I had to do it as a wolf. I needed to be near her. I thought briefly of Rebecca and Ian having a kid together and instantly phased as rage consumed me. I made my way back to the Black house where I stayed all night, listening to Rebecca's even breathing as she slept, though I heard her tossing and turning a few times throughout the night.

I stayed there until I felt the sun begin to rise. Getting up, I stretched my furry paws out in front of me. Noises started permeating from inside the house and I knew Rebecca was up.

I raced home and phased back to human form. I took another quick shower before dressing in some jean shorts and a white t-shirt. Throwing on some shoes, I ran out to my Jeep and headed back to the Black home.

As soon as I got to the property, I heard Rebecca's voice coming from the back of the house. Instead of entering the home, I followed the pull which connected me to her and made my way to the backyard. Sure enough, Rebecca was standing just a few yards away talking on her cell phone.

"…I think I'm going to stay longer than a week… maybe extend the trip an additional week. I don't want to leave until I know Rach is okay," Rebecca said to whomever she was speaking to.

"Sure, take as much time as you need," I heard Ian's voice reply through the phone. My stomach twisted.

"What are Jake's kids like?" He asked.

"Incredibly cute…I was going to ask maybe…if…you know…you were ready to try yet for a baby." Rebecca said slowly. I did _not_ want to hear this, but I couldn't make myself leave either.

"Becca, you know it's not the best time. The business is really growing right now…maybe in a couple of years."

"Yeah…I guess," Rebecca replied, her shoulders slumped. "And it might hurt Rach…if I suddenly became pregnant so soon after her miscarriage."

"True," Ian said. "Well, I should let you go so you can see her…I love you Becca…don't stay away too long."

"I won't," Rebecca said, before adding, "I love you too."

I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I reminded myself though that I was here and Ian wasn't. I was going to make the most of my time with my imprint. She turned around and gasped when she saw me standing there.

"Embry!" Rebecca shrieked, bringing her hand to her heart. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry," I said somewhat stiffly. "You ready to leave?"

"You know I can drive myself," Rebecca responded, taking in my rigid demeanor.

"Really, it's not a problem," I insisted. "Let's go."

We drove to the hospital in silence. When we entered Rachel's room, we found Paul laying in Rachel's bed with her. The bed they had brought in for him to use last night was left untouched. Rachel had her arm wrapped around Paul's waist, her head on his shoulder. She was sleeping lightly while he laid staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey," Rebecca whispered. Paul turned his head and tried to give us a welcoming smile, but it came out more as a grimace.

"Morning," he said gruffly.

"How's she doing?" Rebecca asked.

"Okay…still a little sore, but they're going to release her this afternoon."

"So soon?"

"Yeah," Paul responded. "She's not bleeding and seems to be healing already."

I could tell Rebecca was upset by this news. I went up and ran my hand comfortingly up and down the middle of her back.

"She'll be okay," I reassured her. "Carlisle wouldn't let anything happen to a member of Jake's family."

Rebecca began to relax at my touch. She turned so that she could wrap her arm around my waist. I moved so that I could bring her into a tight hug. I kissed her head before leaning back slightly. She had dark circles under her eyes. I reached out and traced one with my thumb.

"Didn't you sleep at all last night?" I wondered.

"So-so." Rebecca said tiredly.

"Why don't you and I go get some coffee?" I asked.

She looked over at her sister. Paul was now running his fingers through Rachel's long hair, coming up every so often to touch her cheek gently. Rebecca sighed.

"Coffee sounds good," she replied.

"Paul, we're going for coffee, you want anything?" I questioned. Paul shook his head, never taking his eyes off his wife.

We went outside the hospital and walked down to the one and only coffee shop in Forks. It was really a bakery/bistro. As soon as we walked in and the smell of baking bread hit my nostrils, my stomach growled hungrily. Rebecca laughed.

"Didn't you eat this morning?"

"Nah…no time," I replied.

I ordered four bagels, plus an extra bagel and coffee for Paul. I knew he hadn't eaten recently and he was going to need to get food in his system to keep up his strength. We sat down at one of the few available tables left. Rebecca slowly drank her vanilla latté while I wolfed down my bagels.

"So that's why you were crabby this morning. You were hungry," Rebecca commented as I worked on my fourth bagel.

"I wasn't crabby," I replied. Jealous as hell, but not crabby.

"Sure, sure," Rebecca said, giving me a smile that made my heart speed up.

I stared at her for a moment and she stared back. It was like we were suddenly in our own world. She reached out and for a brief second I thought she was going to touch my face. Her hand was out and then she suddenly jerked it back on the table. I noticed her hand slightly trembled as she grabbed her latté, taking another sip from it. A frown formed on her face. I continued to eat my bagel, though without the enjoyment of the earlier ones. I gulped down my black coffee, not even flinching as the hot liquid singed the back of my throat.

"Are you happy?" Rebecca asked out of nowhere.

I stared at her in surprise for a moment before saying, "What makes you ask that?"

"I don't know," Rebecca said, looking slightly embarrassed. She glanced down at the table before looking back at me. "Are you?"

"Yeah…I guess," I told her. I was happy now anyway.

"Sometimes it just seems like your in pain or you've been hurt," Rebecca said, before laughing. "Ignore me. This is the second time I've seen you in what…10 years? It's none of my business."

I reached over and lightly squeezed her hand where it sat on the table. She turned her hand over so our palms were pressed together.

"There are things I want out of life that I can't have, so I guess you could say, I sometimes find my life unsatisfying," I confessed.

I didn't know why I was telling her this. I hadn't told anyone my inner demons. And I couldn't very well tell her that the one thing I wanted most was the person sitting across from me right now, holding my hand.

"Like what?" Rebecca asked persistently.

That was one of the things I always loved about Rebecca. If she knew someone was hurting, she wouldn't let the matter drop until she could find a way to fix the problem.

"Well, one thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is my father."

It was true too. I wondered if Joshua Uley ever wondered about me. If he and my mom had a one night stand and he didn't know or care that I was his son. He didn't give a damn about Sam, so I seriously didn't see why he'd give a shit about me. I think it was why I was so fanatical about wearing condoms when I slept with a woman. I didn't want to repeat my parents' mistakes. But knowing who my father was helped heal something inside me…something that always seemed to be missing. I even found myself staring at Sam sometimes, looking for a family resemblance because Sam was said to look a lot like Joshua. Strangely though, I couldn't see myself in his features.

"I didn't think you knew who your father was," Rebecca said carefully.

"I think I figured it out," I told her. When Rebecca just looked at me expectantly, I sighed and admitted, "I think he's Joshua Uley, but I don't have any proof, so…can we keep this just between us?"

"Of course," Rebecca said, before wondering, "Why him?"

"You know that genetic condition I have that makes my skin hot? Sam has it too."

"So do my brother and Paul though," Rebecca said with a frown.

How could I explain the wolf line to her? My father had to be Jake's dad, Quil's dad, or Sam's, because they were descendents of the last three wolves of the old generation. I couldn't very well tell Rebecca it couldn't be her dad or Quil's because I imprinted on her. But thinking that Joshua was my father was one thing. Proving it was something else entirely.

Since I wasn't able to talk to her about any of this, I explained truthfully, "As I said, I don't have any substantial proof. That's why I haven't really talked about this with anyone."

"Oh…okay," Rebecca said. I watched as she processed everything I said. She looked at me and smiled. "By the way, I think your genetic condition is one of the strangest things I've ever heard of, but my dad insists that it's nothing to worry about."

I just smiled back at her, completely distracted as I observed the beautiful brown color of her eyes.

"What about dating?" She asked. "Whatever happened to Libby Gibson?"

I was going to seriously kill Collin the next time I saw him. Why did he have to tell everyone, including Rebecca, about the first girl I slept with?

"Last I heard she was married and had four kids."

"Wow and she's only 24," Rebecca remarked with mirth in her eyes. "Are you sure you don't have a kid out there somewhere?"

"Positive. She didn't get pregnant with the first kid until a couple years after we stopped dating."

"What about marriage? Don't you want to get married and have kids someday?"

I looked at her. Why was she so curious? I shrugged and answered her truthfully.

"I want what Jacob and Ness have and Paul and Rachel have. I won't settle for anything less…I can't."

"They _are_ extremely close…Rach says they're soul mates if you believe in that kind of thing," Rebecca told me before asking, "Do you think you'll ever find a girl you'll love like that?"

I looked at her, breathing in her very essence and responded so quietly I wasn't even sure she could hear me, "Oh yeah."

Rebecca gave me a shrill smile before she began to play with the lid on her coffee cup.

"Do you believe in soul mates?" I asked, my stomach knotting nervously.

She seemed thoughtful for a minute before nodding slowing. "Yes, I do."

"Is Ian your soul mate?" The masochist inside me needed to know.

Rebecca looked at me and frowned before getting up from the table.

"We should get back before Paul's coffee gets cold," Rebecca said.

"Sure," I replied, worried that I offended her.

On the way back to the hospital, Rebecca talked amicably, though the topic of soul mates wasn't brought up again. When we entered the hospital room, Rachel was crying in Paul's arms.

"What happened?" Rebecca asked, instantly running to her twin's side, though Paul held Rachel so tightly that Rebecca couldn't comfort her.

"The doctor said he felt it would be dangerous if Rach got pregnant again. Her blood pressure was abnormally high before she miscarried."

"Oh Rach," Rebecca said sadly.

I didn't know what to do so I stood near the hospital room door as Rachel continued to cry. She calmed down though after awhile; being surrounded by the love of her twin and husband helped.

We stayed for a few more hours and then Rachel was discharged from the hospital. Over the next few days, Rebecca never left her twin. I spent more time at Paul and Rachel's house than I ever had before. I looked after Devlin as Paul and Rebecca took up vigilance at Rachel's side. Occasionally some of the guys in the pack would stop by to visit. Rebecca would only say a quick hello, before returning to her sister. The only times she'd really leave Rachel was when Ian would call. Then she was all smiles while I felt like punching something.

After about a week, Rachel ordered Paul and Rebecca to go grocery shopping. I had volunteered to take Rebecca, but Rachel insisted that I stay behind and help with Devlin. She said she needed to ask me something anyway.

I watched with sorrowful eyes as my imprint left without me. Rebecca was going back to Hawaii in another week and I wanted to spend every single second that I could with her. Rachel on the other hand let out a sigh of relief as they left.

"Finally," she said. I looked at her strangely. Didn't she know how worried they were about her?

She must have noticed how I was looking because she smiled and said, "Sorry…I know I'm cutting into your imprint time, but I needed a break from those two. I love them both dearly, but if they don't stop hovering over me I'm going to clobber them. I can't even use the bathroom without one of them standing just outside the door."

I laughed and Rachel eyed me speculatively.

"Embry, can you do me a favor?" Rachel asked sweetly.

"Okay," I replied cautiously.

"Will you please take Becks out…take her dancing in Port Angeles or something. She came all this way from Hawaii and she's only had one quick visit with Jacob, and then she's spent the rest of her time by my side."

"Rachel," I said slowly, "you're encouraging me to take your married sister out on a date."

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a date…more like friends hanging out together. If it makes you feel any better, I'll see if Jake and Ness can go."

I continued to look at her in surprise. She sighed.

"Look, I might be the only one in the family who doesn't think the sun shines out of Ian's ass, but I'm biased. I'm still mad at him for taking my sister to Hawaii and away from me. That doesn't mean I want Becks to get hurt or ruin her marriage. But you deserve to have this time with her. You've been very good to all of us this past week. Besides, I don't think you would try to deliberately do anything to hurt Rebecca's marriage. You might think you want to, but you wouldn't because that would hurt Becks too much in the end."

Looking at Rachel for a moment, I finally said, "Okay…but only if she wants to go."

"Great," Rachel smiled gleefully before reaching over for her phone. "Jake, hey it's Rach. How would you and Ness like to go clubbing with Embry and Rebecca tonight? Okay, I'll hold."

Rachel covered the receiver of the phone with her hand.

"He asking Ness," she told me before putting the phone back to her ear. "She will…great, I'll let them know."

She disconnected the call and leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smile.

"Okay, it's all set," Rachel said. "Thanks again for doing this."

Devlin woke up from his nap and Rachel went to tend to him. After she was done, she brought him into the living room. Devlin and I were in the middle of building a fort of blocks when Paul and Rebecca returned. I got up and took a grocery bag out of Rebecca's hands.

"Good news Becks," Rachel said from the chair she was sitting in. "You, Embry, Jake, and Ness are going out clubbing tonight. Everyone's meeting here in two hours and then you're going to Port Angeles."

Rebecca opened her mouth to protest, but Rachel said, "You've hardly spent any time with our baby brother since you've been back. I've decided to share you with him. I've got the perfect dress you can wear tonight."

Rachel grabbed Rebecca's hand and led her to the upstairs bedroom. So much for giving Rebecca a choice…not that I was going to complain.

"What was that about?" Paul asked, leaning over to kiss Devlin on the head before sitting down next to his son to take over where I left off on the fort.

"Rach needs some space…you guys are hovering too much."

"Oh…" Paul said, looking hurt.

"She knows you mean well," I tried to comfort him.

"Yeah," Paul muttered quietly. If I didn't know any better, I would say that our formerly short tempered brother was pouting. I snickered at the thought and Paul glared at me.

"Here's what you do," I said, sitting on the couch and kicking my feet out before crossing one foot over the other. "You gotta give the girl some alone time. Let her have time to relax."

"What are you, a marriage therapist now?" Paul asked with a hint of anger.

"That's me…Dr. Call…the _love_ doctor."

We both started laughing at the idea. I had a mental picture of me holding a stethoscope to someone's heart and saying, "The love doctor's here baby." I snorted.

"Trust me," I joked. "If there's anyone who shouldn't be giving out advice on relationships, it's me. Rach just seems a little frazzled."

Paul frowned for a moment before he smiled again. "Thanks Dr. Love…I think I know what I need to do."

I got up from the couch and stretched. "You think Becks will need a ride back to Billy's? I need to go home and change."

Actually, I wanted to go home, take a shower, and get out my best clothes. It was stupid, but I wanted to try to impress Rebecca tonight.

"If she needs a ride, I'll give her one." Paul said knowingly.

"Thanks… I'll be back later."

I got in my jeep and drove to my house. Once I got home, I went straight to my closet. Shit! I didn't have anything to wear but shorts. I dug through until I found a pair of nice khaki pants that I never wore. I decided to wear it with a blue t-shirt. I hoped it would be good enough. I made myself some dinner and then went into the bathroom and took an extra long shower.

I stood for a long time under the spray of water and imagined the different scenarios of how the night would play out. Each one ended with me and Rebecca coming back here and having sex. I finally had to turn the water to cold to cool off my overheated body.

I eventually got out of the shower and spent some time trying to style my hair. I brushed my teeth and gargled with extra mouthwash. Once I was satisfied with everything, I got dressed. By the time I was ready, I still had about a half hour before I needed to be back to Rachel and Paul's. I turned on the TV and flipped through some channels. I couldn't stay still though and was soon pacing. Finally, it was time to leave.

I sped all the way back to Paul's. Once I got there, Ness and Jake were already there. They were in fact making out on Paul's couch when I walked in. Paul was in the kitchen getting dinner ready for Devlin.

"Hey," I said to Paul as I entered the kitchen. I decided to leave Ness and Jake sucking face without an audience.

"Well now, don't you look purty," Paul joked as he eyed me.

"Ha ha."

"Seriously…how much gel did you use in your hair? You know that'll be a bitch to clean out if you phase, right?"

"Well, hopefully, I won't have to phase tonight." I replied. "Where's Rach?"

"Upstairs taking a bubble bath," Paul said looking proud of himself.

"Nice thinking." I laughed.

I suddenly picked up Rebecca's lavender scent and turned around eagerly. She had just reached the bottom of the stairs. My heart constricted as I looked at her and I had to remember to breathe.

Rebecca was wearing a black strapless dress that hugged at the waist and flowed down to her knees. Her hair was left down, her eyelids covered in some dark makeup. Normally I preferred the natural look, but tonight Rebecca looked exotic. I walked over to her and picked up her hand.

"You look incredible," I told her.

"Thank you," Rebecca said, removing her hand from mine. She began to nervously twist her wedding ring. "You ready to leave?"

"Yeah," I replied before turning to Jake and Ness who had broken away from each other long enough to watch my exchange with Rebecca. "Ready?"

They both nodded and headed out the door. Rebecca paused to grab her purse. I noticed she had a bemused expression on her face as she stared at Ness and Jake through the open doorway.

"What?" I asked. She was watching Ness who was laughing at something Jacob had just said.

"Nothing," Rebecca shook her head. "It's just weird…I know that Ness and Edward are brother and sister and the Cullens adopted them both, but sometimes Ness reminds me so much of Bella."

"Weird," I agreed and felt pain shoot up my spine before it slowly dissipated.

If there was one thing we couldn't do, it was flat out lie to our imprints. If we did, it would cause us incredible pain. But I could at least get away with being evasive. That only caused me slight pain. It was a trick Quil used with Claire a lot. She was only 10, so there wasn't a lot he could tell her. And I couldn't very well tell Becks that her sister-in-law was half vampire and dined on blood. Anyone who didn't know about the Cullen secret had been told that Edward and Ness were brother and sister.

I looked over at Ness and Jake. They were both waiting for us at my Jeep. I knew they could hear everything Rebecca was saying.

"It's kind of disturbing when you think about it," Rebecca said almost to herself, before adding in a tone she probably thought was confidential, "I remember meeting Bella a couple of times when we were little. It was right after Charlie Swan and his ex got divorced. Jacob followed her around even then. He worshipped her. Do you remember that?"

I shook my head. I couldn't remember ever meeting Bella when we were little. I noticed Jake and Ness were as still as statues as they eavesdropped on our conversation. Jacob was especially tense.

"Too bad she got sick on her honeymoon…my dad and Charlie said that's why she looks so pale and young now…from whatever rare disease she caught. Not that it would be terrible to look younger than you are, but it's strange. All the Cullens seem to be afflicted by it except for Ness. I don't remember Bella's eyes being that weird color either."

Rebecca walked out the door and I followed. She looked at me and smiled, "It was such a long time ago though, and Rach and I never really hung out with Bella back then. I'm probably remembering things wrong."

We started walking slowly towards the Jeep. Rebecca laughed before saying quietly, "Right before Jake met Ness, he'd send me emails about Bella. He never went into detail, but reading between the lines, it seemed like he was crazy in love with her. That's why I said it's kind of disturbing…you know…that he married Bella's look-a-like, sister-in-law."

I saw Ness go stiff and heard Jacob swear. Ness knew that Jake once thought he was in love with her mother. It didn't mean that she liked to be reminded of it though. Jake went to hug Ness, but she gave him the cold shoulder instead.

"That was a long time ago," I said, hoping to appease Ness. "He had a stupid little crush on Bella. He got over it as soon as he saw Ness. He never gave Bella a second thought after that…not romantically anyway."

We reached the Jeep and got in. Rebecca rode up front with me, while Jake and Ness rode in back. The tension coming from those two was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Jacob finally sighed and wrapped his arm around Ness, turning her so she was forced to look at him.

"Are you seriously pissed about this still?" Jacob whispered in a tone too low for Rebecca to hear. I turned on the radio in an attempt to give them more privacy, but I could still hear everything.

"Why would I be pissed?" Ness asked snidely, "Just because you probably pretend I'm my mom whenever we make love…why would I be pissed about that?"

"Oh for fuck's sake," Jake said angrily. "Didn't you used to have a crush on Brady? I don't go throwing that in your face every two seconds."

"When I was five Jacob! And I never kissed him. Furthermore, I'm not throwing that fact in your face. Everywhere I turn, I get constantly reminded of your pathetic love for my mom."

"I was a teenager Ness! It was just a stupid crush. I wish I could take it back because I know how much it hurts you, but I can't erase the past. All I can say is, if I knew you were going to be the result of Bella and Edward's relationship, I would have rented a hotel room and told them to get it on a lot earlier."

"Ugh…please don't talk about my parents having sex," Ness said, but I could hear the softening in her voice.

I made the mistake of glancing in the rearview mirror. Ness had her face turned slightly away from Jacob, which gave him easy access to her neck. He began to suck on the skin there. I heard her moan and quickly turned my eyes back to the road.

"I love you Ness…only you," I heard Jacob's muffled voice say. "No one has ever made me feel the way you do…no one ever could."

"Oh Jacob," Renesmee sighed tiredly, before letting out a little giggle.

The sounds of wet kisses and heavy panting soon greeted my ears. I asked Rebecca more about her photography in an effort to block out the noise coming from the backseat.

The drive went quickly…thank God. Once we were arrived at the club, we produced our IDs (Ness's fake of course) and found an empty table. Ness sat on Jake's lap and they continued to kiss and make up.

"Jeez, get a room already," Rebecca said disgustedly.

"Okay," Jake said, getting up and bringing Ness with him. They were out the door before either of us could blink.

Rebecca and I stared at each other blankly, our mouths hanging slightly open at Jake's sudden departure. That shithead! He was supposed to be a chaperone tonight.

A waitress came up and we placed our drink orders. When the first alcoholic beverages arrived, we both slammed our drinks. We decided to do a round of shots next. We ended up doing a few rounds of those. By now, I still wasn't feeling anything. Rebecca was getting toasted.

We got up and began to dance. Rebecca was pretty good, even for a drunk. Our dancing was innocent enough. That was until some jackass on the dance floor tried grinding up against her at one point. I quickly grabbed Rebecca and brought her up against me, making sure that every guy in the place knew she was with me.

"Whoa Embry," Rebecca said, looking up at me with confusion in her eyes. Her hands ran up my arms. "When did you get these muscles? They're so hard."

I groaned as I realized that wasn't the only thing hard. Rebecca wasn't helping the situation. She turned in my arms so that her back was against my chest. The music around us was fast, but we were in our own hemisphere. I wrapped my arm around her waist to hold her even closer to me. Her bottom pushed against my arousal and I groaned in response. She moved her hands so that they were clutching at my thighs.

She suddenly turned and ran her hands up my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her against me again. She had just moved her hand to my neck when she froze. She pulled away from me and wiggled her finger, watching the light flash off of the diamond in her wedding band. Rebecca covered her mouth and ran towards the bathroom.

I swore and ran a hand through my stiff hair. I went back to our table and paid our tab. Rebecca came back, looking pale.

"You get sick?" I asked.

"No…but I feel ill. Can we go?" Rebecca asked miserably.

"Sure," I replied.

I had to grab her arm because she was wobbly on her feet. We made our way outside and back to my Jeep. She groaned as I helped settle her in. I reached across her and snapped her seatbelt on.

"Sorry Em, I don't usually drink," Rebecca said.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," I told her.

I started the Jeep and we were soon headed back to La Push. We were about 15 minutes into the drive when Rebecca remembered her brother.

"How will Jacob get home?"

"Don't worry, he'll find a way," I assured her. Jake and Ness could run home. It'd take a lot less time than by car anyway.

We drove the rest of the way in silence. I realized that at some point on the drive, Rebecca has passed out. I pulled up to Billy's house and went around to her side of the car and carefully picked her up. I carried her to the house and set her down on her feet.

"Becks, I need the key."

Her response was to plop her head on my shoulder. I put her in the folding chair on the porch and, feeling like a heel, searched her purse until I found her house key. I unlocked the door and opened it up before reaching for Rebecca again and carrying her to the bedroom she was using. I placed her on the bed and took off her shoes before drawing the blanket over her.

"Night Becks," I whispered close to her face. I was half tempted to kiss her, but I wanted her completely coherent when we finally kissed.

I knew that day would come too. After her drunken reaction tonight, I was positive that it would happen sometime…perhaps even before she went back to Hawaii. Maybe I'd even find a way to convince her that we were meant to be together and that she should dump her jackass of a husband. Full of confidence, I leaned down and kissed her forehead before leaving.

My confidence lasted all night. In the full light of day though, it dissolved into thin air. Rebecca began to avoid me. In fact, for the rest of the week before she left, the only time I was able to see her was if Jacob, Billy, or Rachel were there. Finally, on the morning she was supposed to leave, I tracked her down on Second Beach. It was the first time we had been alone since our night out.

"Look," I said, startling her as I walked up to her. "Did I do something to offend you?"

"I wish you'd stop sneaking up on me. You're like a freaking panther or something. I don't even hear you until you're there."

"I'm sorry," I said angrily. "Now quit avoiding the question."

"I'm not avoiding anything…I'm…" Rebecca started to say before she turned to look back at the ocean, "I'm just embarrassed. I have a vague recollection of that night at the bar. I mean…did I or did I not hang all over you?"

"We were just dancing," I defended her.

"It was the way we were dancing," Rebecca said, avoiding my eyes. "I shouldn't have hung on you like that…and…"

"And what?" I demanded.

Rebecca turned and looked at me then.

"And I don't want you to get the wrong idea about us. Embry…I'm married."

Like I need that fucking reminder thrown in my face again.

"I'm aware of that, Becks," I said, trying to remain calm, even as the warning heat spread down my spine. Taking a deep breath to control my temper, I reminded her, "I thought we were friends though."

"Friends," Rebecca said as though she were testing the word. She smiled at me then, though it didn't seem to reach her eyes. "Okay…yeah, we're friends, but that's all."

"Good…then why don't you let me take you to the airport?" I offered.

She hesitated and I quickly added, "That's what friends do for each other, right?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not," I replied.

"All right," Rebecca said. "I need to leave in a half hour though."

"No problem," I told her. "I'll go gas up the Jeep and meet you at Billy's."

We parted and I went to get my car. By the time I arrived at Billy's, there was a small crowd gathered. Jake, Ness, and the kids were there, along with Rachel, Paul, and Devlin. Quil, Seth, Collin, and Brady were also there. Rebecca hugged everyone and waved cheerfully goodbye. As soon as we were out of sight though, she slouched in her chair with a weary sigh.

"You okay?" I asked, instantly concerned.

"It's ironic," Rebecca said. "I hated La Push for such a long time…hated the memories it had. And now I feel like I'm leaving my heart behind. Maybe I'm finally accepting my mom's death."

She sounded so sad about that, I had to dispute it, "I think it's because you have a reason to return now."

"What reason?" Rebecca asked, turning to look at my profile as I drove.

_Me._

"Family…you're an aunt now. It must be hard to stay away from Devlin, Meena, and Gabe…not to mention Rachel lives on the Rez now."

"Maybe," Rebecca replied. She didn't look as sad anymore and suddenly laughed quietly. "I think you're right. I'm already feeling homesick for La Push."

"Good…you'll have a reason to come back more often then." I told her in a tone that gave too much away. I watched as the merriment left her face and she frowned at me.

To change the subject I blurted out, "I'm thinking about going back to school…maybe get my bachelor's degree."

"That'd be good for you," Rebecca said somewhat surprised at the sudden change in conversation. "You were always a smart kid."

I hated when she did that. I hated when she treated me like the "little brother" she used to consider me.

"What will you study?" Rebecca asked.

"I'm thinking of studying biology or chemistry. I'd like to teach it on a high school or college level."

"What does Quil have to say about that? What about the garage?"

"I haven't told anyone but you that I'm seriously considering it. It won't interfere with the garage though."

I didn't know why I hadn't talked to Jake or Quil about it. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I was beginning to think of school as my own personal refuge; a place where I didn't have to worry about imprinting, or being a "protector," or a shape-shifter. It was separate from my other life on the Rez. It was my escape…and I wasn't ready to tell anyone about it. So why I was blurting it out to Rebecca was beyond me.

We discussed different subjects from that point on. By the time we reached Seattle, Rebecca was completely relaxed with me. We somehow got onto the dangerous topic of discussing soul mates again.

"So what are you going to do until your soul mate shows up…if she's out there?" Rebecca asked.

"Oh, she's out there…and when the time is right, we'll be together." I said confidently.

Rebecca looked at me and was about to say something when her cell phone rang. She seemed almost reluctant to answer it. When she saw who it was on the caller ID, she turned her body so that I could only see her back.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey sweets, you on your way back?" Ian's voice rang out. I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Almost to the airport now," Rebecca replied.

"I can't wait to get you home…I've missed you," Ian said in a tone that clearly said he wanted to get laid. The fucker.

"Missed you too," Rebecca responded quietly. She probably had no idea that I could hear Ian as clearly as if he were in the car with us.

"When you get home…I've got the hot tub ready, the wine chilling, and the strawberries dipped in your favorite chocolate."

"Sounds good," Rebecca said trying to sound casual, but I could hear her heart speeding up. I kept my eyes straight on the road.

"See you soon sweets...love you," Ian said.

If possible, Rebecca turned even farther from me and whispered, "Love you too."

Luckily for me, we had just arrived at the airport.

"Will you be okay if I drop you off here?" I asked, pulling into the designated drop off point. I originally had planned on staying with her until her plane took off, but I felt it was probably in my best interest to get the hell away from her before I exploded.

"Sure," Rebecca replied, looking sad again.

I got out of the Jeep and opened up the back and pulled out her suitcase. I set it next to her and stared down at my imprint. We were friends…it's what she wanted, she even said so. Why was this still killing me then?

"Have a safe trip home," I told her.

"You too…be safe driving back to the Rez," Rebecca said staring at me. I nodded and before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Pulling away quickly, I said, "See you, Becks."

I turned away from her and was almost in my Jeep when I heard her call out.

"Embry."

I turned back around with foolish hope in my heart. "Yeah?"

Rebecca opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again. She finally said, "Thank you again for everything you did for me on this trip….for helping my whole family really."

"Sure," I replied before getting back in my car.

I gave a quick wave in her direction and took off. I was calm as I drove…strangely calm. I continued to feel that way as I drove straight for downtown Seattle. I reached a hotel that was right in an area of the city known for its bar scene. I checked into the hotel and called Quil, letting him know I was going to stay in Seattle for the week. I felt bad. I really hadn't been around much to help out in the garage the past couple of weeks, but Quil understood probably better than anyone what I was going through.

I left the hotel once it got dark and went to a club. I met some woman there named Crystal. She might have been hot…I couldn't tell either way. It didn't matter. She was what I needed. Blurry face, almost reddish and demonic in appearance, and the stench coming from her made my nose want to bleed. But I smiled and flirted and danced, and relished every stabbing pain I received throughout my body whenever she got too close to me.

We made it back to her hotel. She was in town for some work conference. She wanted the same thing I did. Meaningless sex. We entered her hotel room and went straight to the bed. She pushed me down on it and began to dance around the room, removing one article of clothing at a time. She obviously had done this strip tease before. It did nothing for me though.

As I stared at her out of focus features, her short brown suddenly became long, black, and sleek in my mind. Instead of the rancid smell coming off her, I could smell Rebecca's sweet scent of lavender. The woman climbed on my lap and began to grind against the lower half of my body. She pressed her naked breasts to my chest. I pulled away and tore my shirt off over my head.

I reached down and squeezed her nipples with my fingers.

"Harder," the woman whispered. I did as she instructed and pulled.

"Harder bitch," the woman demanded.

Okay.

I yanked so hard I worried that I might have caused permanent damage. Instead, I think the woman came.

"Oh you're a naughty boy," the woman responded, breathing heavily. "Do you need a spanking…no, I've got another idea."

She reached between us and began to rub me through my pants. It felt incredible.

I closed my eyes and moaned, "God…Rebecca."

I realized what I said right after I said it. I opened my eyes to view her reaction. She leaned in and licked my lips with her tongue. My lips began to sting painfully.

"Oh…can I call you Alejandro?"

I almost started laughing. What kind of freak did I get myself mixed up with? The woman slipped off my lap and pushed me so that I was flat against the bed. I felt her work at my pants and I lifted up my hips so that she could remove them easily.

"Let's see what present you have for Aunty Crystal…or should I say Aunt Becky?" The woman wondered.

I heard her gasp as she saw me. I was only partially aroused. She began to run her hands over my shaft. I closed my eyes and pretended that it was Rebecca touching me. The trick worked. I soon became completely hard.

"My, my, my," the woman said. I hoped she wasn't going to be a talker. It fucked with the fantasy.

I felt her warm lips encircle me. Her jaw relaxed and she managed to get me in about a quarter of the way before she had to give up. I was impressed. Even Aerial, my sometimes fuck buddy, couldn't accommodate my size that way. Either this woman had a lot of training, a jaw that could detach on a whim, or the world's biggest mouth. She moved her head up and down. My hips began to thrust to meet her movements. The pleasure slowly built until I finally climaxed in her mouth, shouting Rebecca's name as I reached my peak.

"So good," the woman said after she released me. I laid on the bed trying to catch my breath as the pain sliced over me.

She began to expertly work on my shaft with her hands again. I pictured Rebecca touching me…moaning for me to enter her. I became completely hard once more as my mind ran wild with images of Rebecca begging me to take her.

The Rebecca substitute climbed on the bed on all fours and waved her ass in my face. I reached into my wallet and grabbed a condom and rolled it on. I began to rub my member along her entrance teasingly.

"Put it in me now," the woman demanded. I did as instructed and entered her to the hilt. I began a swift pace.

"Harder," she ordered again.

I began to pound her. She started making freaky noises that sounded like a dog barking. What the fuck? The harder I thrust, the more distinguished the "arf" noise became.

She finally climaxed around me. I was too freaked out to feel anything but the barest tinge of pleasure. I pulled out and the woman collapsed on the bed. She had passed out. I found that sometimes happened if the room wasn't cool enough. The woman wasn't made for me…she couldn't handle my body temperature.

I went into the bathroom and took the condom off carefully. My body still ached for release along with the typical pain I usually felt when I slept with someone who wasn't my imprint. I sighed as I gave in to my body's demands. Remembering how Rebecca's body felt pressed against mine the night we went dancing, I was able to give myself the release I needed. Once I finished and cleaned up, I walked back into the hotel room and pulled on my clothes. The woman was still sleeping as I let myself out.

I went back to my hotel room and turned on the shower. I didn't even bother to take off my clothes as I sat on the floor of the tub and gave into the pain. My body felt like it had been doused in flames and then brushed with lemon juice, but at least I escaped the emotions I was barely keeping at bay.

I knew one thing for sure. I couldn't carry on like this anymore. After awhile, I got out of shower and went to bed. I slept for 14 hours straight. When I finally got up, I checked out of the hotel and spent the rest of my week visiting different college campuses across Washington.

It would be another year before Rebecca arranged for another visit to La Push.

But things never work out quite the way you plan them. Sometimes they work out even stranger.

And the guilt I was left with was a burden I never thought I'd have. The guilt of betraying a friend.

_A/N – I know some of you are wondering about Rebecca and her behavior with Embry…don't forget she doesn't know anything about the wolves. She has no idea that she's been imprinted on. She's not about to drop her husband of 10 years, who she loves and has been happy with, for a guy she's only seen a couple of times in the last decade, simply because Embry's taken an interest in her. Does that mean she doesn't feel anything for Embry? I'll let you decide. ;)_

_On another note, several people have commented that this story is too sad. Given the imprint situation and the fact that Embry's in pain most of the time, I have been trying to lighten it up. This chapter made me laugh a few times…I hope you did too. Let me know what you think. **Please review!**_


	6. Hitting Rock Bottom

**Chapter 6 – Hitting Rock Bottom**

Embry's POV

I was working on some paperwork at the garage when Jake came up to me. I was in a good mood for once. Business was going well. Quil and I had hired a guy from Forks named Mike to help in the shop. He was an excellent mechanic and he worked well with Jake, who was our other full time mechanic. Because Mike wasn't a shape-shifter, we could leave him in charge if the occasion ever arose when we had to put pack business first.

And school was going good too. I was coming to the end of my first year. Unless something unforeseen happened, I was going to pass all my classes with flying colors. It was the perfect distraction for me and occupied my mind as I needed it to. Did that mean I had given up sleeping around? No…whenever the depression and longing for Rebecca began to overwhelm me, I'd find a woman. The pain I got from sleeping with someone who wasn't my imprint was the ultimate escape.

As for my imprint…she, above anything else, was why I was in such a good mood. Rebecca was coming home. It had been almost a year since I had seen her last.

So when Jacob came into the office I shared with Quil to speak to me, I had no way of anticipating how quickly my mood would sour. I greeted him with an idiotic smile on my face. My mind didn't even register that he was looking back at me grimly.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Jake asked.

"Sure," I told him, putting the paperwork to the side. "Have a seat."

I waited for Jacob to sit, before it finally dawned on me. Something was wrong. My heart began to pound painfully as I searched my feelings. I didn't feel pain or anything, which meant Rebecca was okay. Why did Jake look like that?

"I've got some things to tell you…" Jake started to say.

"Rebecca…" I interrupted, rising half out of my chair. "Did something happen to Rebecca?"

"No…she's okay," Jake told me, but he looked guiltily away. I sat back in my chair, clenching the arms of it tightly as I waited for Jacob to get on with what he had to tell me.

"I've already told Quil this, but I'm leaving…well the Cullens are leaving actually. Someone remarked on how young Carlisle looked a couple of weeks ago and the family's decided to move. As it is, the Cullens have stayed in Forks a lot longer than they normally stay in a spot. We're moving to Vermont. Esme found a house there that's surrounded by wildness, so they'll have plenty of food available."

"Oh," I responded, feeling slightly stunned. I mean, we all knew this day would happen sometime soon, but it still made me sad. Jake was my family. It had always been me, Quil, and Jake…ever since we were kids. It was going to be weird not getting to see him very often.

"So when are you moving?" I asked.

"Next week. I know it's not a lot of notice…"

"Don't worry about that," I assured him. "It's just…wow, man…I'm gonna miss you."

Jake gave me a half smile. "Yeah, I'm going to miss you too. But I'll come back and visit."

"I've always wanted to go out east," I remarked, before jokingly adding, "Maybe I'll come out and visit you and like it so much I end up staying there."

There was no way I'd ever leave La Push and we both knew it. Not if living here meant I might see Rebecca on occasion.

Jacob smiled though. "You'd be more than welcome. Alice will have someone else to practice her cooking on besides me."

"Shit…I forgot…on second thought, I'll see you next time you come back to town."

Jake laughed before his face turned serious.

"With me leaving, I've already asked Seth and Quil to switch their allegiance back to Sam and his pack. I'm asking you to do the same. If another vampire comes to the area, Sam could use all three of you to help with any problems the pack might have."

"Sure," I responded. Quil and I had left Sam's pack shortly after Ness was born. Sam had let us go with his blessing, and we had all gotten along cordially since.

Sighing, Jacob spoke again. "That's not the only thing I needed to talk to you about."

I was instantly alert. I had a feeling the news was going to be bad.

"Embry…Becks isn't coming home after all."

"What?" I asked as pain and shock ripped through my body.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but she cancelled her trip. Ian got into a surfing competition in Australia. She decided to go with him and…"

He stopped speaking and looked like he was silently cursing himself.

"And what?" I demanded.

Jake just shook his head. He looked away as he said, "They've decided to make it a second honeymoon."

"I see," I said.

I didn't see at all. I felt like the walls in the office were closing in on me. I couldn't breathe as pain ricocheted through every muscle in my body.

"Sorry…" Jake said again.

"Iss okay…" Shit! I couldn't even speak right. I forced myself to concentrate. "I should probably get back to this paperwork."

"Sure," Jake said, standing up. "Let me know if you need anything, all right?"

"Yeah…okay," I replied.

Jacob walked out of the office, leaving me with my thoughts. I stared at the paperwork I had been working on before Jake's interruption. The words blurred together. I again had the feeling that I couldn't breathe. Fuck this!

I jumped up and grabbed my keys off the desk. I looked at the clock on the office wall. It was almost closing time anyway. I walked swiftly out of the office, ignoring Jake and Quil's sympathetic eyes as I went through the shop. I hopped in my Jeep and headed to Forks. I pulled into Skinny's Bar and upon entering it, immediately ordered a pitcher of beer. I continued to drink until my lips began to go numb.

Once I began to feel the effects of the alcohol, I made my way into the pool room. I noticed no one was in there. Perfect! There was only one pool table anyway. I loaded up the pool balls and grabbed a stick. Taking out some of my anger, I took a shot. The cue ball went flying off the table and slammed into the wall where it got stuck. Dammit to hell!

I walked over and yanked it out before placing it back on the table. I managed to actually keep it there as I took my shot again and successfully broke up the balls. Some even went into the pockets. Feeling proud of myself, I leaned down to take another shot, when I suddenly smelt the repulsive scent of female.

Looking up, I saw a woman standing in the doorway with her arms folded over her chest. I thought she might have been smiling at me, but when I tried to focus on her face, it went from being slightly blurry to utterly distorted.

"Nice shot Embry," she said.

I frowned at her in return.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"Ouch…I know it's been awhile since high school, but I thought you'd recognize me? Jessica Kateseca?"

Dumb fucking luck. Of all the girls I could have run into tonight, why did it have to be Quil's ex-girlfriend…the first girl he ever slept with no less. There was a rule between friends. You don't sleep with your friends' exes. That was just a given.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked.

"Sure, why not." I told her.

She grabbed a stick from the holder on the wall and chalked it up.

"You want to me to be stripes or solids?" Jessica asked.

"I don't care, you pick."

"Solids then." She smiled at me and the alcohol in my stomach churned sickeningly.

We played the game for an hour. Through it all, I continued to drink as we reminisced about high school and got caught up on what each of us had been doing for the past seven years.

"So how's Quil doing?" She asked as she took a shot. "I ran into him a few years ago, but we didn't get a chance to talk very long. He was watching some brat."

I smiled at that. Quil had told me he had run into Jessica once while he was watching Claire. Claire had been three at the time and had kicked Jessica in the leg.

"He's doing good. We own an auto repair shop together."

"Wow, you own your business? How successful of you," she flirted. "So is he dating anyone?"

I snorted. "He's definitely taken if that's what you're wondering."

Quil had forsaken all others while he waited for Claire to grow up. Unlike me, he wasn't into masochistic behavior. I admired his stamina. It had to be difficult for him, living like a monk. But he didn't seem to mind. He had Claire…that was all he needed.

I heard Jessica sigh sadly. "Well, what about you? Are you taken?"

I paused for a minute. Here she was asking me if I was taken only after she found out Quil was off the market. I didn't know if I should be insulted or not. Then again, did it matter?

"Is it that hard of a question?" Jessica laughed.

Yeah, it was. Technically I was free. Emotionally though was something else entirely. Then again, my other half was currently enjoying a second honeymoon with her waste of a husband.

"No, I'm not involved with anyone," I said, enjoying the swift pain that shot through me…welcoming it as it took me away from the agonizing thoughts torturing my mind.

"Oh good," Jessica smiled at me. I smiled back as her face started to take on the familiar reddish haze. I knew in that instant I was going to get laid tonight.

We continued to play pool, only there was something different in the air. The relaxed atmosphere had been replaced by sexual tension.

"Look at this," Jessica complained, pointing down at the table. "This shot is impossible."

"No it's not," I told her. "Here let me show you."

I walked up to her and pressed myself against her back. Her stench began to burn all the way down to my throat. I bent forward so that we were both leaning over the table, her face inches from mine. I positioned my hands to overlap hers as she held the pool stick.

"Loosen up this hand," I said, running my fingers over her hand that was holding the middle of the stick. I heard her breathing increase.

I pulled her one hand back and then forth again with some force. The stick hit the cue ball and sent it careening into the desired ball. The ball went spinning off the side of the table and then spun towards the intended pocket where it sank out of sight. Not letting her go, I turned my face slightly so that my lips practically touched her cheek.

"See…" I whispered. "No problem."

Jessica dropped her stick and turned in my arms. She wrapped her hands around my head and captured my lips to hers. Her tongue darted out and swirled around my lips, causing me to moan in pain.

I broke away and walked over to the pool room entrance. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, I shut the wooden door and put a chair under the handle. Turning back to Jessica, I lifted her off her feet and sat her on the edge of the table.

I drew her shirt off over her head. She did the same with mine and gasped when she saw my muscles. Jessica began to run her hands up and down my chest before she leaned in to take one of my nipples in her mouth. She licked it before backing away to blow cool air against it. I groaned as I felt her breath sting my flesh. She continued to run her hands down my stomach, moving until she hit my jeans. Her one hand slid under the waistline.

I grimaced as I felt her take hold of my shaft. I quickly closed my eyes and went to my happy place of pretending Rebecca was touching me. The pain eased slightly as I felt her work me until I was fully erect. I bent behind her and swept away the pool stick and balls that were still on the table. I pushed Jessica gently until she was laying on her back with her legs dangling over the side. Her ass rested on the edge of the table, causing her to be slightly elevated.

I reached beneath her and unhooked her bra. Removing the obstacle quickly, I moved my mouth so that I could suckle the tip of one breast while gently kneading the other one in my hand. My Rebecca replacement groaned in pleasure. Luckily for me, the woman in my arms was wearing a skirt. I reached under it and slowly removed her panties. I went back to play with her womanly bud.

"Embry," my pretend Rebecca mumbled. "That feels so good."

I continued to tease her this way until I knew she was completely ready for me. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my wallet and grabbed a condom. Good thing I remembered to keep those stocked. I removed my pants and protected myself, before quickly entering her. I bucked inside her until I felt her begin to climax around me. She cried out as she reached fulfillment. I continued to thrust as I became overwhelmed with sensation. My mind allowed me to clearly smell Rebecca's sweet lavender scent. In that moment, there was no other woman in my arms. Picturing Rebecca was enough to send me over the edge, and I finally convulsed.

As soon as I finished, the pain began to set in. And with it was an unbelievable amount of guilt. Not only had I betrayed my imprint, but I deliberately slept with my best friend's ex-girlfriend. What was fucking wrong with me anymore? I quickly pulled out of her and pulled my pants up. Walking over to the trashcan in the room, I disposed of the condom and fastened up my jeans. I felt as though sharp nails were stabbing into my skin. How could I sleep with Jessica of all people? I felt arms wrap around me from behind. Bile rose in my throat.

"That was fantastic Embry…we should definitely do this again sometime."

I disentangled myself and turned to face her. Her face looked even more demonic than it did while we were having sex.

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen," I told her, shame making my face cold.

"Then what was this?" Jessica gestured angrily to the pool table.

"An easy lay," I snapped.

Jessica straightened as fury set in. I saw her hand coming towards my face, but didn't bother to stop it as it crashed into my cheek. I deserved it. Unfortunately, I didn't feel a damn thing. Jessica on the other hand winced in pain as she drew her hand to her chest. Shit! I deserved pain, but that didn't mean she did.

"Look…I'm sor--" I started to say.

"I should have known better than to have sex with the Rez's bastard child," Jessica sneered.

I snorted. At one time that might have pissed me off, even if the idea was antiquated. Now I just didn't give a shit. I bent close to her face.

"And to think…I'm the bastard that just made you come."

With that, I walked towards the door and removed the chair calmly before leaving the room. I made it to my Jeep and crawled into the backseat where I promptly passed out. I woke in the morning with a cottonmouth taste in my mouth and a crick in my neck. I moved my head back and forth and heard it crack. The pain went away immediately.

The guilt though returned in full force. I tried to reason with myself as I drove back to my house to shower and change before work. Quil broke up with Jessica even before he imprinted on Claire. It had been years since they had been together. But then I kept remembering that they had known each other intimately. You never forgot the first girl you slept with. And what had I been trying to prove by sleeping with her anyway? That I could get anyone I wanted, including my friend's ex? Did this even have anything to do with using sex to escape my imprint hell? Or did I sleep with Jessica for a more sinister reason?

All my life I'd felt like I wasn't good enough…or at least…not as good as Jacob or Quil were. They had come from the perfect cookie-cutter home. They had a complete set of parents and siblings who loved them. They didn't have a mom who dumped her parental duties on her neighbors so she could party on the weekends.

I knew my mom loved me and did her best. But she could never be a father figure. I had had to turn to Quil and Jacob's dads for that. Which brought me back to last night. Did I have some subconscious need to sleep with Jessica to prove I was as worthy as Quil? That we were equal, even when it came to women? How pathetic and sick was that if it were true.

I made it to the garage and the first person I saw was Quil. I murmured a quick "good morning" and walked swiftly into our office to turn on my computer.

"Hey, we need to talk," Quil said, coming into the office. My stomach twisted and I winced in pain.

Quil noticing this commented, "You look like hell. Have a rough night?"

"You could say that," I replied, as I opened some files on my desktop.

"Or should I say…did you have a wild night?" Quil smirked.

"What are you, my mother?" I barked.

"Sorry man," Quil said in surprise. "Anyway…I was thinking we could hire Azra to replace Jacob. He's a pretty good guy and knows his way around an engine."

Azra was in Sam's pack. He had been one of the seven to change around the time of the Volturi's visit when Ness was a baby. I knew he would be a good fit, but at the moment I couldn't concentrate on shop talk.

"Sure," I murmured. The guilt was becoming unbearable.

"So what do you think about joining Sam's pack again? It's going to be weird and--"

"Quil, I slept with Jessica last night," I blurted out.

Quil frowned for a moment before saying, "Uh…congratulations?"

"Jessica…as in Jessica Kateseca…your ex-girlfriend."

"Oh…" Quil responded.

I was perfectly still as I waited for Quil's wrath.

Sighing, Quil finally said, "Can I be straight with you?"

"Of course," I told him immediately. I deserved whatever he said to me. It was my penance for my unforgivable behavior.

"If you keep this up, your dick is going to fall off."

I was so stunned for a moment, all I could do was stare before I said, "What?"

"I mean…are you even practicing safe sex? Of course, even if you did pick something up, your body temperature would probably burn it off before you could get infected, but do you want to take that risk? I know you've slept with pretty much any skirt that's walked in front of you, but I'm worried about you being--"

I held up my hands in front of me, "Whoa…Quil, I use condoms every single time."

"Oh…okay then, that's good." Quil responded and then started typing something into his computer. I just stared at him.

"You're not pissed that I slept with your ex?" I questioned.

He looked at me in confusion. "Why would I be? We broke up years ago? I can't even picture her in my head anymore…the only female face I see is Claire's."

I watched him for a second as he continued to work. I didn't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't this. I expected a fight. A good old fashion, fur flying, teeth biting, fight. Instead, I got passive Quil who didn't seem to care that I had crossed the line last night. I saw him frown and immediately jumped on it.

"What? Did you realize you should kick my ass?" I asked hopefully. It would at least make me feel better.

Quil laughed, "Seriously Embry, don't worry about it. I was just thinking about Claire actually."

"What's wrong with Claire?" I asked, eager to help.

"Do you think 11 is too young for a boyfriend? Actually, she won't be 11 for a few months still."

"Claire has a boyfriend?" I was careful to hide my amusement.

"No, but she has some crush on this kid named Tyler. Her friend Lindsey asked the kid if he'd be Claire's boyfriend. He said maybe. Claire wasn't happy."

I knew he didn't like Claire to be upset, so I tried not to laugh. Elementary school drama was so easy compared to real life.

"Doesn't it bother you she wants a boyfriend?" I asked.

"Not the way you're suggesting," Quil replied. "For one thing…boyfriend to her means someone she can hold hands with. If it was more than that, I'd have to talk to the kid."

I raised my eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Not because I want Claire for myself or anything…that's sick. She's way too young. I just want her to be safe. And I want to make sure that some little punk isn't going to pressure her into anything."

I laughed. "You better hope you have all boys. I have a feeling you're going to be the overprotective fatherly type."

"I don't know if I'll ever have kids," Quil said seriously.

"Why? Don't you think Claire would want kids someday?"

Quil laughed at that.

"Well, that's certainly not something I've ever asked her. It's just that…I don't think of her romantically ever. Even when I try to think about the future, I just can't picture us being together. You'd think I could at least imagine Claire as a grown up and us someday getting married. But I don't. She's my best friend and that's the only way I see her."

I was surprised to see how worried he truly seemed to be about this.

"Quil…I'm sure it will happen someday. It's not like you two don't have some time to let things heat up. She's a great kid. Once she grows older, your feelings will change for her."

Quil just nodded absently, but the concern was still on his face.

"So…uh…are you sure you aren't mad then?" I asked. Quil looked at me blankly. "You know, about Jessica?"

"No, I'm not mad," Quil replied. "Though I hope for your sake the sex was better than what I had with her."

We looked at each other and started to laugh. Laughter was something I didn't do very often…it felt good. It became even rarer as months and then years went by and Rebecca never came back to La Push. With each passing day, I became more and more emotionless. I was dead inside and felt as though I were only going through the motions of living. The only thing that kept me going was school.

Carlisle was right. School became an escape for me and I continued to excel at it. I went to work and I patrolled when I was supposed to. If I concentrated on my homework while I was patrolling with someone, they thought I was only thinking about school subjects to escape my pain. Sam was good to me and didn't make me patrol that often. Actually, I think that was more for the others' benefit. The less the pack was in my head the better.

And then one day Paul went over to Sam's house and picked a fight with Brady. He phased for the second time in several years. He and Brady got into it pretty bad before Sam was able to break them up. You'd think Paul wouldn't be able to phase anymore, but Paul was under a great deal of stress. And it was all related to his imprint.

Against her doctor's orders, Rachel had gotten pregnant again. It wasn't planned. Rachel's birth control had failed. Paul had begged and pleaded with her to get an abortion, because her life was in danger, but Rachel refused. She said there had to be a reason she was pregnant. So Paul starting reverting to what he was before he imprinted…angry and short-tempered. The fight with Brady wasn't his only one with pack members, though he tried his best not to phase again.

The first few months had gone relatively smooth for Rachel, though her blood pressure became a little high. But as she neared her eighth month, her blood pressure skyrocketed and she developed Preeclampsia. She began to have kidney problems and the doctors were worried her other organs would start to become affected too. Rachel put on a brave face, but I knew she was terrified.

And so…for the first time in three years…Rebecca came home.

_A/N – So what'd you think? Probably not what you were expecting, but I had several reasons for doing it. First of all, fans of Early Imprint know that Embry pretty much went into a downward spiral after he imprinted and began sleeping around…this wasn't just a small phase he went through. This went on for years as you see by this story. Now I'm not going to keep writing Embry sleeping around with different women, but I've wanted to show you Embry's mindset right now. Also, you read correct. Rebecca doesn't return to La Push for three years. Rebecca had a reason she didn't return…and you'll eventually be told what it is. __**Please review!**_


	7. No Expectations

**Chapter 7 – No Expectations**

Embry's POV

I walked eagerly through the airport terminal as I made my way towards the gate where Rebecca's plane would be arriving. I had volunteered to get Rebecca, since Rachel was in the hospital and Paul didn't want to leave her side.

I got to the airport an hour early. I didn't want to make Becks wait if the plane got in before it was supposed to. So I had nothing to do but sit while I waited for her plane to arrive. I grabbed a coffee from one of the airport's shops and grabbed a seat near a large window that would allow me to see the planes come in.

I noticed a woman sitting across from me, eyeing me with interest. At least, I assumed that's what it was since I couldn't see her blurry face. I didn't really care either way. Since that fiasco with Quil's ex, I had slowed down on sleeping around. I wasn't living the life of a monk. If the needs of my body demanded satisfaction, then I would find someone, even if the pain I ended up having wiped away the physical relief I experienced. But I stopped using sex as punishment for imprinting on someone I couldn't have, which is what I realized I was doing.

I played with my plastic coffee lid anxiously. I was nervous. I hadn't seen Rebecca in three years. I had no expectations on this trip. Rebecca obviously wanted to be nothing but friends. Why else would she stay away so long? But I knew she was planning on staying for a few weeks this time, and I was going to cherish each second with her. I was like an addict who was receiving a small dose of their favorite drug. I would take in my fill of her while she was here and then go through the pain of withdrawal when she left again.

I glanced at one of the screens that announced flight arrivals. Rebecca's plane was expected in 20 minutes. I wondered if she would look any different. I wondered what she had been up to all this time. Why had she stayed away so long? Did she ever think of me while she was away? These thoughts kept racing through my mind as time slowly passed. Then I suddenly felt my connection getting stronger to her. I looked out the window and saw a plane landing in the distance. Looking at the flight arrival screen, it confirmed that her plane just arrived. I patted my hair nervously and stood by the gate as I waited for my imprint to appear.

When I finally saw her, I felt the most overwhelming sense of relief. It was like the other half of my heart was finally found. I walked towards her with a smile brightening my face.

She looked incredible…her face had matured in a way that made her even more perfect to me. I was startled to realize that Becks was now 31. As I got closer, I noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the strain around her mouth. But she still smiled at me as soon as she saw me.

"Hey Em," she said.

She hesitated for a moment before she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I hugged her back, bringing her close to me. I closed my eyes as I breathed in her sweet lavender scent. I was home. It didn't matter where I was in the world; as long as I had Rebecca in my arms, I was home.

"Hey Becks," I murmured against her hair.

She seemed to pull away reluctantly before glancing around.

"I need to get my suitcase," Rebecca reminded me. She looked down at the ticket in her hand. "I'm supposed to pick it up at station three.

We made our way to the baggage pickup area. I couldn't take my eyes off her and she seemed to keep glancing at me as well.

"Have you heard from Jacob?" She asked.

"He and Ness are going to try to come in a few days." As sad as the circumstances were, I was excited that Jake was coming back to town. I hadn't seen him in two years.

She nodded and we waited for her luggage to appear on the conveyer.

"So…did you ever decide to go to school?" Rebecca asked. There was an awkward feeling in the air. It saddened me to realize she was uncomfortable around me.

"Yeah," I replied. "I just started my fourth year."

"What's your major?"

"Biology with a minor in chemistry. By the time I'm done, I should be able to teach on a college level."

"And you're doing well?"

"Of course," I replied dryly.

Rebecca laughed and some of the tension left her shoulders.

"Of course," she repeated. "How could I expect anything else from you? I used to tease Rachel when we were younger that if you two ever hooked up and got married, your children would be geniuses."

Talk about ironic.

"Well, I think Dev inherited his mother's brain." I assured her. "Thank God he didn't take after Paul."

Rebecca smiled at me, meeting my eyes. Time seemed to freeze when she did this. The world around me suddenly became distance, noises muffled. The smile slowly drifted off her face, but she didn't look away. The sudden noise of the conveyor kicking in distracted us both. Rebecca actually jumped a little. We waited for her suitcase to appear. As soon as it did, I grabbed it easily and we made our way outdoors. We arrived at my Jeep and we were soon on the road.

"Is this the same Jeep?" Rebecca asked looking around.

"Yeah…this is my Betty."

"Betty? Is that your car's name."

I laughed, "Yep, but don't ask me how I came up with the name, because I have no idea."

"Gotcha," Rebecca said before asking, "Who's watching Dev?"

"Sam and Emily Uley."

"Sam…isn't he the tribe's chief?"

"Yes."

"Oh…wow, that's nice of him. I didn't realize he, Paul, and Rachel were that close. I know Paul is considered a "protector" but Rach never talks about it much. I didn't realize they really had a lot to do with the Uleys."

"Yeah, we're all really close to Sam…I guess you could say we're a pack of brothers."

"Hmm," Rebecca replied, seemingly lost in thought. Her sudden sob made me jerk my eyes away from the road.

Panicking, I asked urgently, "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm just so worried about Rach," Rebecca said. "I read about preeclampsia. If it develops into full eclampsia she could have a stroke or seizure. She could die."

"I stopped by the hospital before I came to the airport and talked to Paul. They're keeping her in the hospital so she gets mandatory bed rest. That'll help with the blood pressure. They also have her on a load of drugs. The doctors are doing the best they can. Paul said all the tests they're running on her indicate that everything is stable."

"The only cure though is for her to have the baby." Rebecca remarked.

"The baby is just short of eight months. Paul said they want to wait another week, but if her condition worsens, then they'll do a caesarian."

"Why chance it though?" Rebecca wondered.

"If either Rachel or the baby become distressed, they're going to be on top of it Becks." I assured her, reaching over to give her hand a comforting squeeze.

Rebecca flipped her hand over so that our palms were against each other. She seemed fascinated as she examined my hand. Her other hand reached over and began to run over my skin, tracing each finger in turn. Goosebumps broke on my skin at her touch.

"I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to Rach. I couldn't bear it," Rebecca said, looking at me with tears in her eyes. I held her hand even tighter.

"Nothing will happen to Rachel. For one thing, Devlin and this baby are going to need their mother. For another thing, Paul won't let anything happen to her. He'd tear the hospital apart first."

Rebecca laughed at that. I switched the topic to one I dreaded, but I couldn't seem to stop myself from asking something I was curious about.

"So where's Ian?"

Rebecca sighed and let go of my hand. I felt sharp pain at the lack of contact.

"He was in the middle of a surf competition in Indonesia when I got the call that Rach was in the hospital. He said he'd drop everything and come home, but I told him to stay. Aside from the competition, he's doing promotional work for the school. Plus, he has sponsors that would have been upset if he dropped out of the competition."

That didn't seem as important to me as the possibility of his wife's twin sister dying, but then again, I was ecstatic that surfer boy wasn't here.

"And your business? How are things going at the studio?" I asked.

From there we made small talk as we drove to the hospital in Port Angeles. I could feel Rebecca's anxiety building the closer we got to town. I could feel her emotions as though they were my own. We finally arrived at the hospital and made our way to Rachel's room. Rebecca went over to give Paul a quick hug, who was seated in a chair next to Rachel's bed. Paul looked even worse than he did when I left this morning. Rebecca quickly went over to her twin and leaned down to give her a hug.

"You look like crap, Rach," Rebecca said bluntly. Rachel laughed weakly in return.

"It's nice to see you too," she said faintly.

"Sorry," Rebecca said immediately. I watched her forehead furrow into a frown. "Seriously though, you don't look so good. Are you okay?"

"They're giving me some medication to keep the blood pressure normal. It doesn't agree with my stomach."

"Why don't they give you something else then?" Rebecca asked.

"They've tried. This medication seems to be the most successful."

"What else are they doing for you?"

"Giving me magnesium sulfate injections," Rachel answered tiredly.

"Enough with the 50 questions already, can't you see she needs to conserve her energy." Paul snapped.

I straightened immediately from where I was leaning against the wall. I know Paul was worried about Rachel, but there was no freaking way I was going to let him talk to Becks that way. Before I could say anything however, Rachel interjected.

"Leave her alone, Paul. She's just worried."

"You're right," Paul said immediately, running his hand wearily over his face. "Sorry, Rebecca."

"No, Paul…you're right, I shouldn't be bugging Rachel like this."

"Pffft." Rachel murmured.

"Oh Rach…why didn't you get an abortion?" Rebecca asked. "You knew the risks when you had your miscarriage."

"Never…I could never abort Paul's baby. The baby just has to hold on a little longer and then he can come out."

"He? You're having a boy?" Rebecca said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah…we were going to wait, but I decided I wanted to know…just in case…"

Rachel stopped talking, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what she was going to say. _Just in case she died._ Paul stiffened and Rebecca sat down on the bed and quickly leaned over to hug her twin again.

"Don't talk like that…not ever…you hear me?" Rebecca demanded.

"Sure, sure," Rachel responded.

"You have any names picked out," Rebecca asked.

"I think we've decided on Shawn Michael…but with Shawn spelled S-E-A-N."

"That's a good name," Rebecca whispered as she watched Rachel's eyes begin to fight to keep open. She leaned down even closer to Rachel and whispered. "I'm going to go in the waiting room for awhile. Get some sleep, okay?"

"Kay," Rachel mumbled.

Rebecca got even closer to her twin's ear, "I love you Rach."

"Love you too," Rachel responded before falling asleep.

Rebecca watched her twin for a minute, worryingly biting her lip, before she got off the bed. She went over and squeezed Paul's shoulder.

"Sorry for what I said," Paul said again.

"Forget it. I know you're worried about Rach."

Paul shrugged, turning his head to stare at his sleeping wife.

"Is my dad around?" Rebecca asked.

"He had an Elders' meeting with Sue. He's going to come back tonight with Devlin."

"Oh…okay," Rebecca responded. "I'm going to go into the waiting room for awhile."

"Fine," Paul said, his eyes never leaving Rachel.

I followed Rebecca out of the room and we headed to the waiting room.

"You don't have to stay, Embry," Rebecca told me. "I can get a ride home tonight with my dad."

"It's no problem," I replied. "I'd like to stick around, if that's all right?"

"Okay…fine," Rebecca said, before turning and going into the bathroom.

I was beginning to worry when she didn't come out after ten minutes. Someone who needed to use the room went and knocked on the door. I heard her say she'd be out in a minute. When she came out, her face was stained with tears and her eyes and nose were red. I walked over to her immediately and pulled her to me.

"I'm just so scared, Em," Rebecca said, welcoming my embrace.

I turned and brought us over to a love seat in the waiting area.

"I know you're scared, but she's got the best doctors looking after her. Carlisle recommended her obstetrician himself. She's in great hands."

Rebecca rested her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you Embry. You've always been so good at calming me down when I'm about to fly off the handle. Even when we were younger, you always made me see sense in things."

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head lightly.

"That's what I'm here for…to talk you down when you start talking crazy."

Rebecca laughed and reached down and grabbed my hand. We sat that way for at least an hour, before we got up to see how Rachel was doing. Throughout the day we continued to take up vigilance in either the waiting room or Rachel's room. As day turned into night, Billy and Devlin arrived. Devlin was excited to see his aunt, but solemn when he visited his mother. The kid was unusually good, considering he was only five.

We were sitting around Rachel's bed, Rebecca holding Devlin on her lap, when Rachel stopped talking and her eyes went blank. Paul stood up immediately and yelled for a nurse. His call came out seconds before Rachel's eyes rolled in the back of her head as she began to thrash around as a seizure hit her. Nurses and doctors came running into the room ordering everyone out. I had to grab Paul and force him away. He began to scream Rachel's name, which made Devlin start crying for his mom. Rebecca grabbed Devlin and hurried him into the waiting room. I stayed with Paul to restrain him from entering Rachel's room. Rachel's obstetrician came out, his face grim.

"Rachel's kidneys have begun to reject the medication we had them on. Her blood pressure has also spiked. We're not going to be able to wait the week we were hoping for. We need to operate on Rachel now before her other organs begin to shut down."

Paul nodded numbly, "Do whatever you need to. Just save Rachel."

They soon wheeled Rachel out and took her to surgery. Paul wasn't allowed in the delivery room in case Rachel crashed. He decided to go to the chapel for awhile. I went out to the waiting room and told everyone what was going on. Billy left to call Jacob. Rebecca held onto Devlin, rocking him as he continued to cry in her lap for his mom. Billy soon came back and joined us again.

"Jake and Ness are going to fly in as soon as arrangements can be made," he told us.

By this time, Devlin had gone unnaturally quiet. It must have been terrifying to see that happen to his mom.

"Hey Dev," I said. "Would you like to go get some ice cream from the hospital cafeteria?"

He perked his head up hopefully, before shaking it no.

"No thank you," he replied politely.

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked. "I bet it would taste good right now."

Devlin looked from her to me before finally saying, "All right."

I reached out my hand for him and he took it. Rebecca gave me a grateful smile which sent my heart soaring. I asked Billy and Rebecca if they wanted anything, but they both shook their heads. As Devlin and I went for our ice cream run, I asked him about his favorite cartoons and kindergarten to keep his mind off things. By the time we finished our dessert, the poor kid was nodding off almost into his dish. I picked him up and carried him back to the waiting room and laid him on a love seat. I went and sat down next to Rebecca on the couch she occupied. A doctor came out a short time later.

"You're Rachel's family, correct?" He asked, his eyes lingering on Rebecca's face.

"Yes," Billy responded.

"We've updated Paul already, but he asked that I come out and speak to you. The baby was safely delivered. He's in the neonatal ward but he's in remarkably good shape. He's about 3 ½ pounds, but his lungs and other organs seem to be functioning fine. If he takes after his father, the kid should be up and playing football before you know it."

The doctor chuckled at his own joke. We all smiled weakly back.

"What about Rachel?" Rebecca asked. The doctor's face turned serious.

"Rachel's blood pressure is extremely high. Her kidneys also aren't functioning as we'd like them to, so we're going to put her on dialysis until they start to heal. Now that the baby is out, the next couple of weeks are going to be critical for Rachel. If she stabilizes after the dialysis, I have no doubt she'll make a full recovery."

"And if she doesn't?" Rebecca questioned.

The doctor smiled. "Let's just take it one step at a time, okay?"

The doctor waited for us to nod our heads, before he excused himself. Sam arrived a little while later. After getting updated on Rachel and speaking with Paul, he picked up a sleeping Devlin and left to take Dev back to his house. Rebecca was sitting next to me when I felt her slump against my shoulder. Looking down, I saw that she was fast asleep. I glanced at Billy, but he was busy reading a book.

I positioned myself so that I had my back to the corner of the couch and even though the couch was pretty long, I had to sprawl my legs over the side. I rearranged Rebecca so that she was lying across me, her head on my chest. She hardly moved while I rearranged her. I was running my fingers repetitively through her silky hair, when I drifted off to sleep. We were both awakened by the arrival of Jacob and Ness. Rebecca quickly jumped away from me and got off the couch to hug her brother. Jacob gave me a knowing look before he turned to hug his father, while Ness hugged Becks.

"Hey Embry…should have known you'd be here," Jake murmured before bringing me into a hug.

"Good to see you, man," I returned, before giving Ness a quick hug.

We updated them both on what was going on. Ness wrapped her arm around Jacob's shoulder to comfort him as we gave him the latest information we had on Rachel. Rebecca eventually excused herself to go to the little break area off the waiting room. I got up and followed her and found her staring blankly at the vending machines, tears silently streaming down her face.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked.

Rebecca sniffed before giving me a watery half smile, "No."

I couldn't resist and pulled her back into my arms. I brushed my lips against her head repeatedly. Rebecca sobbed and wrapped her arms around my waist tightly.

"What would I do without my twin?" she whispered, pressing her face against my chest.

"Nothing's going to happen to her," I assured her.

"I'm just so scared Embry."

"You don't have to be scared," I told her, reaching down to wipe the tears from her delicate cheeks. "Becks…I'm here if you want me."

I bent down and kissed her forehead. The longing to be near her overwhelmed me as I moved my lips down and kissed each of her now closed eyes. I heard her breath increase as her hands slowly moved up my chest to wrap around my neck.

It had started innocent enough. All I intended was to comfort my imprint. But things soon changed. My mouth moved to her cheek before slowly moving towards her lips. Her lips parted slightly as her head turned towards my seeking mouth.

I thought briefly of the fact that it had been almost four years ago that I imprinted on Rebecca. It was the last coherent thought I had as our lips finally met.

_**A/N – So they finally kissed! Let me know what you think. Please review!**_


	8. Rethinking Strategy

**Chapter 8 – Rethinking Strategy**

Embry's POV

I thought briefly of the fact that it had been almost four years ago that I imprinted on Rebecca. It was the last coherent thought I had as our lips finally met.

It was soft, almost innocent at first. The slightest contact though sent shock waves through my entire system. I had never experienced anything like it. It felt so…right…so perfect. I was overwhelmed with the need to continue the kiss. I didn't think I'd ever be able to let Rebecca go again.

The kiss deepened, my lips parting to trace the line of her mouth with my tongue. She started to respond by parting her own lips, but she suddenly froze and pushed against my chest. I reluctantly pulled back and opened my eyes to watch horrified realization enter hers. She shook her head in disbelief.

"What am I doing?" She whispered almost to herself.

Not what are _you_ doing, but what am _I_ doing. It pained me that she readily accepted the blame for what just happened.

"It wasn't your fault," I tried to reassure her. "It was mine. I'm sorry…I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I only meant to comfort you…it just got out of hand."

She pushed against my chest again, almost desperately.

"Let me go…please," she pleaded.

My arms dropped immediately to my sides against my will. Rebecca quickly turned and fled the break room. I heard her enter the women's bathroom across the waiting area. The lock in the door made a resounding click. Her muffled cries reached my ears and my stomach twisted.

I took a deep breath and ran a shaky hand through my hair, before making my way back into the waiting room. Billy had fallen asleep in his chair. Ness was looking at a magazine. She looked at me and smiled, but I noticed her face looked strained. Before I could even take a seat, Jacob walked up to me. He looked furious.

Shit! I had forgotten all about Jake and Ness. They had probably heard my entire exchange with Rebecca.

"You and I need to talk," Jake said.

I nodded and followed him out of the waiting room. We kept going until we exited the hospital and entered the night air. We walked until we reached a park that wasn't too far down the road. Jacob didn't say anything for a moment as he came to a stop, staring out in the distance. His jaw was clenched tight and I knew he was trying to hold onto his temper.

"Look I know what you're going to say," I told him. "I shouldn't have kissed her."

"No, you shouldn't have," Jake snapped. "Rebecca is terrified for Rach right now. And what do you do? You freaking add to her confusion by kissing her. Not only does she have to deal with the fact that her twin might die, but she now she gets to feel like she betrayed Ian. What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Like I said…" My blood was beginning to boil. "I didn't mean to kiss her. I just couldn't fight it any longer. I needed my imprint tonight."

"Don't give me that shit. This isn't about the pull you feel to your imprint. You were thinking with your dick."

Fury like I had never felt erupted over me. If I had been a new wolf, I would have phased by now. As it was, I could barely contain myself as I shouted, "Fuck you."

I lunged at Jacob. My fist flew and connected with his chin. I heard a sickening crack as his jaw dislocated. Swearing, Jacob reached up and popped it back in place. He eyed me warily as I stood shaking to the point that I was blurring.

"Calm yourself Embry," Jacob demanded.

"I don't take orders from you anymore remember?" I yelled. "You're not my Alpha."

"You're right, I'm not," Jake said calmly. I didn't want calm. I wanted him pissed off so I could let out some of my anger.

"I am Rebecca's brother though, and I'm telling you right now as her brother and your friend to stop messing with her head. If she feels anything for you, she won't understand why because of Ian. All you're going to achieve is making her feel guilty. She's vulnerable right now and you're taking advantage of it!"

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." I responded. "You have no clue what it's like loving someone you can't have. Your imprint was easy."

"You think my imprinting on Ness was easy? _Me_ imprinting on someone whose family is my natural enemy? Someone who aged so quickly when she was born, I had to live with the agony of wondering if she was going to die in a few years or not? You think it was easy turning my back on my brothers to live with a clan of vampires? On not knowing if the children I impregnated my imprint with would kill her while she was carried them? You're out of your fucking mind if you think my imprinting situation has been easy."

Jacob walked away from me for a moment. After a deep breath, he turned back to me.

"I know you want time with Rebecca but all you're going to achieve is to push Rebecca further away. I know my sister. She'll never forgive herself if she cheats on Ian. And she'll end up hating you if you're not careful. Rebecca needs your friendship more than anything right now. Get over yourself and be what your imprint needs you to be."

With that Jake turned and left. I stood shaking so hard I had to go into some dense trees just in case I phased. Instead, I ended up punching a tree, severely denting it. It killed my hand, but helped release some of the fury racing through me.

A part of me was irate with Jacob. Who the hell did he think he was? How was it any business of his how I handled my imprint?

And then the other more logical part of me remembered how Rebecca had acted on her last visit to La Push. After we had gone dancing and I practically dry humped her on the dance floor, she had retreated from me, putting up a wall of indifference that I was barely able to crack. It would destroy me if she avoided me again.

After what happened in the snack room and her reaction immediately after, I decided to listen to Jacob and play it cool. I'd give Rebecca the space she needed. If friendship was what she truly wanted from me right now, then that's all I was going to give her. But if she ever wanted more, nothing…not Jacob or anyone else…was going to get in our way. With that resolution firmly in place, I headed back to the hospital.

When I walked back into the waiting room, Renesmee and Jacob were on a loveseat. Jacob was slouched down so that he could rest his head against Ness's shoulder. He was absently playing with her wedding ring. Billy was awake. I noticed he was looking back and forth between Rebecca and Jacob with a frown on his face.

Rebecca was sitting on the couch again. She kept shifting around and seemed restless. As I walked toward her, although she didn't look up, I could see her shoulders stiffen. Instead of sitting next to her as I would of before, I sat in the chair opposite of her and watched out of the corner of my eye as she relaxed slightly. Paul came out a short time later, his face looking haggard.

"Rach is back in her room. She's heavily sedated and she's on oxygen, but her blood pressure has stabilized. It's still too high, but it hasn't gone up anymore."

"That's good news," Jake said. I glanced at him, but he didn't meet my eyes.

I had a feeling that my relationship with Jake had changed somehow tonight. I had failed him as a friend, not only because of what I did to Rebecca, but because I hadn't for one second thought about the strain the rest of the family was under. They were my second family, and I hadn't thought about any of them once. I wondered if Jake and I would ever get our relationship back on track.

"I'm going to go see Sean for a minute." Paul said. "I want to be able to give Rach an update on him as soon as she wakes up. Could you sit with her until I get back?"

Jake, Billy, and Ness all nodded their heads. Rebecca and I didn't respond.

"Would it be all right if I went with you?" She asked Paul.

"Yeah, let's go."

They got up and quickly left. Ness and Jake got up and left for Rachel's room. Billy seemed to hesitate while I sat there. I had already intruded on this family enough tonight.

"Aren't you coming?" Billy asked.

"Nah, you go ahead, this should be a family moment." I told him.

"Did something happen tonight?" Billy questioned.

"What do you mean?" I asked evasively.

"When I woke up from my nap, I found Rebecca pacing around the waiting room. She seemed like she was ready to jump out of her skin. Jake was gone and when he eventually came back, I could tell he was angry about something."

"It's nothing," I told him, not meeting his eyes.

"Embry…" Billy said. I looked up at him then. "I'm here if you need to talk. I'm not just an Elder, but I consider you a part of my family. I hope you know that."

"I do…thanks Billy." I couldn't very well confess I kissed his married daughter tonight.

"Well, in that case, why don't you and I go check on Rachel."

I nodded and we made our way to Rachel's room. She was still unconscious. She was hooked up to an IV and was wearing an oxygen mask. Ness was sitting in a chair next to the bed, holding Rachel's hand. Jacob was leaning against the room's window, staring out into the dark, night sky. Billy rolled his chair to the other side of the bed and grabbed Rachel's other hand. I stood near the room's entrance, feeling uncomfortable.

Paul walked in 10 minutes later. Ness immediately got up from her chair so that Paul could use it. He muttered a quick thanks, before moving the chair closer to the bed and sitting down. He picked up Rachel's hand and held it against the side of his mouth.

"How's Sean?" Ness asked.

"He's doing good," Paul responded. "They have him in an incubator to be on the safe side, but his coloring is good…he's cute."

I smiled at I heard the pride in his voice, hidden carefully under the worry he felt. I left the family talking and went out into the hallway. Feeling the connection to my imprint, I followed it until I reached the neonatal unit. Peeking in, I could see Rebecca standing near an incubator. A nurse walked up to me before I could enter the room.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Sean Wakeh." I told her.

"Are you family?"

I hesitated before answering truthfully, "No, but--"

"I'm sorry," she interrupted. "This area is restricted to family only."

"It's okay," Rebecca called out. "He's with me."

The nurse's mouth firmed into a straight line, but she stepped back so that I could enter the room. I walked over to Rebecca and went to the opposite side of the incubator from where she was. I looked down and saw baby Sean. He was the tiniest thing I'd ever seen. Rebecca was touching him through an opening on the side, her hand covered in a protective plastic.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" She murmured.

I glanced at Rebecca's face. She had tears in her eyes as she stared down at her nephew, but I also saw longing there.

"Yeah," I murmured.

Rebecca's eyes moved from the baby to me. Her gaze drifted from my eyes to my lips, before she looked back down at her nephew.

"I'm sorry about earlier," I told her.

"It's okay…I understand…you were only offering _comfort._ I overreacted."

Why did she sound angry? Or maybe I was just hearing something that wasn't there. If she really thought that I had kissed her solely for comfort, then maybe I should be selfish and think of my needs and tell her the truth. That I'd kissed her because in that moment, I had needed the feel of her lips against mine like I needed oxygen. That she was the very essence of my soul and without her, I was lost. I took a deep breath.

"That wasn't the only rea--"

"Embry, I don't want to talk about this, okay?" Rebecca implored.

As much as I wanted to continue with the conversation, to make her understand that the kiss hadn't only been about comfort, I couldn't. I opened my mouth to try to tell her how I felt and I was physically unable to, because my imprint didn't want to continue this conversation.

Sighing, I finally said, "Okay."

We were both quiet for a moment. I couldn't keep my eyes off Rebecca and she couldn't stop staring at Sean. I finally tore my eyes away to look down at the baby. He was holding onto his aunt's baby finger. Again, I saw the longing written all over Rebecca's features.

"It'll happen for you someday, you know." I told her.

Rebecca look startled for a minute. "What will?"

"Motherhood."

Rebecca's cheeks became flushed. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" I asked softly.

She shrugged. "Ian and I are too busy for kids. Ian's usually traveling or at his school…and I…I have the gallery."

So in other words, Ian was too busy. I knew Rebecca. I knew that she wanted kids badly. I could see it in the way she kept gazing at Sean and the way she handled Devlin earlier. She would be an excellent mother. A part of me wanted to beg her to leave Ian and marry me, and I'd give her enough kids to make her blush. Instead, I just gave her a sad, half smile. Rebecca turned her attention back to Sean.

"Little one…your mother is going to be so excited to see you when she's better. She fought long and hard for you, so you just keep being brave and remain strong, and your mom will be here before you know it. She loves you very much." Rebecca told the baby before leaning in close to the lid of the incubator. "Your Aunt Rebecca loves you too."

She pressed her lips to the lid and then put her hand over it. Removing her other hand from inside of the incubator, she took a step back.

"We should get back…I want to check on Rach," she said.

"Sure," I replied.

We walked back to Rachel's room. I was careful to give Rebecca some space and not crowd her. When we got inside the room, Rachel began to wake up. Rebecca ran to stand next to her father, while Paul stood up from his chair and grabbed her hand in both of his.

"Rach?" He whispered.

Rachel's eyes fluttered and she turned her head to look at him. Through her oxygen mask, I saw her mouth move into an exhausted smile. Paul smiled back, not even bothering to wipe the two tears that slid down his cheeks.

"Baby?" Rachel asked faintly.

"He's fine…he looks like his mom so he's beautiful." Paul told her, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

I looked away, only to have my gaze settle on Ness and Jacob. Jake had his arm wrapped around Ness's waist. Ness had her head against his chest, and they were both smiling as they watched the exchange between Paul and Rachel. I then looked over at Rebecca. My incredible, beautiful Rebecca that I could never have. The distance between us in the room might as well have been an ocean's length. I suddenly couldn't take it.

"Hey…I'm going to get going." I said, walking towards the bed and speaking to Rebecca. "Do you want to come with me, or should I drop your luggage off at your dad's?"

"Would you mind dropping it off at my dad's?" She responded, glancing at me briefly before turning her attention back to her sister.

My heart sank just a little, but I plastered on a smile and said, "Sure."

I looked at Rachel but she had already fallen asleep again. I left the hospital and drove to the Black house. After putting the luggage in a secure location, I went home and phased. I ran until faint sunlight started to appear. I felt a shimmer in the air and knew that someone else had joined me.

"Hey," Quil said. "You doing okay?"

"Fine," I replied. I didn't really want to talk, but then again I needed a distraction.

"What's up with you lately?" I asked.

"Nothing really…I took Claire to get her ears pierced the other day."

"How'd that go?"

"She did well…I almost puked."

I laughed as I saw Quil's images of the event. Another one he didn't mean to share popped in his head.

"So Claire got her period?" I remarked. "She's 13 now, right?"

"Yeah…but I don't want to think about that, all right?"

I snorted. "Sure."

Since I had been up all night, I decided to head back home. Spending a little time in Quil's head helped keep my mind off my own problems. As I laid in my bed, I decided the best course of action was to continue to play it cool with Rebecca. Give her some space and do what Jacob recommended…be there if she needed me.

And over the next three weeks I did exactly that. I worked and went to school, and every other second of my time was spent with my imprint. It was like we never kissed. I watched as she cared for and nurtured Devlin while his mom was still recovering. I helped her take care of Sean when Rachel eventually came home from the hospital and was told to take it easy. Rebecca and I grew closer in that time then we had ever been before. She became completely relaxed around me. If she felt any guilt over our kiss, she never displayed it. And in the time that she was here, I fell even more in love with her than I ever had before.

When Rachel was back on her feet and fully recovered, Rebecca decided it was time to go back to her life in Hawaii. Her husband called every night, and I knew she had her commitments to her gallery. Jake and Ness had already gone back to Vermont. Jake's and my friendship still hadn't completely healed after our fight. So it was with an especially heavy heart that I drove Rebecca to the airport and said goodbye to her. I gave her a hug and stood by the airport window and watched her plane take off. And with her departure, the familiar pain and numbness set in.

After Rebecca left, I threw myself into school. I spent every ounce of my concentration and energy on homework and classes. Before I knew it, my final year flew by and I reached my graduation day.

As it turned out, I didn't have enough schooling or experience to become a college professor as I'd hoped. I found out I needed further education for that career when I finally made an appointment with my school advisor. And since I didn't want to take time off from the garage to pursue student teaching and the certificate I needed to teach at a high school level, I decided to put my dreams of teaching on hold temporarily.

On the actual day of my graduation, I went into work. It wasn't that big of a deal to walk in the ceremony, but I still found myself watching the clock when I knew the graduation started. I wished I could have told someone about it. The only person who knew I had even attended school was Rebecca. It would have been awkward to bring it up now to Quil. What could I say? _Hey, by the way…the past four years, I've been earning a college degree._ He wouldn't have understood why I made such a big deal about not talking about it. When 5 o'clock hit, I realized it wasn't the ceremony that I was missing so much as Rebecca.

I decided I was going to go out and celebrate my graduation, even if it was by myself. As I sat in my office, I decided to celebrate by taking up my former path of drunkenness. I grabbed my keys off my desk and walked out of my office.

"Hey Mike," I called out to my head mechanic. "I'm going to Skinny's. You want to come?"

"Thanks Embry, but I gotta get home to the kids as soon as I'm done with this engine."

"Okay…have a good weekend," I told him despondently.

I headed to the bar and ordered myself a pitcher of beer. Looking down at my glass, I silently toasted my graduation and drank. I finished the pitcher and ordered another. And that's when I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

"Mind if I join you?" A woman asked.

Looking up I saw a woman with dishwater blonde hair and the usual blurry face. Since I didn't plan on sleeping with her, I invited her to sit down. What did it matter anyway? She wasn't who I wanted to celebrate the night with. I wanted Rebecca here.

As we got to talking I was startled to realize that I hadn't slept with anyone since Rebecca's visit over eight months ago. Maybe now that I was 28, I had finally given up my youthful ways of sleeping with every woman I approached. At least, that's what I told myself.

Still, eight months was a long time to go without sex. Carolyn made it so easy for me too. Just a few drinks and she was all over me. I continued to drink throughout the evening until my senses were numb. Why not! Didn't I have a legitimate reason to celebrate?

Carolyn told me she had just broken up with some janitor she was dating. According to her, he had no ambition…he was living with his parents…I quite frankly didn't care. She must have realized it too because she leaned over and began to suck on my neck. I welcomed the pain like a crack addict welcomed a vial of their favorite drug.

"You wanna get out here?" She asked.

I didn't hesitate. We slipped out the back employee entrance and ended up outside. I plastered her against the bar wall, kissing her neck as I slid her underwear off of her. I sent a quick word of thanks to the person who invented skirts.

There was a different smell in the air. Looking around, I noticed we were right near the dumpster. Not the most romantic spot but the stench coming off Carolyn was worse than anything that could be in the garbage. Plus, where we stood, people wouldn't be able to see us unless they deliberately walked towards the back of the bar. I did minimal foreplay…I didn't need to do more than that. She was already ready for me.

I'd slid on a condom and entered her swiftly. The normal pain hit me, and I masked it as I usually did…by pretending the woman in my arms was Rebecca. It was strange…I could visualize her so clearly tonight. Her face…her scent…even our bond…seemed stronger.

I looked at Carolyn's distorted features with drunken confusion. What was it about this woman that made me feel Rebecca so powerfully? But then again, did it matter? Since I couldn't have Rebecca, had I found her perfect substitute? Carolyn began to climax around me…not once, but twice…and yet, I still didn't reach any pleasure as I continued to thrust into her. It baffled me considering how strongly I felt Rebecca.

"Oh God Embry…I'm coming again." Carolyn shouted.

And this is where everything went really wrong. To my utter horror, I felt myself go soft. I didn't understand it. I could see Rebecca in my mind in vivid detail from her face to her smell to our bond, and yet my desire completely evaporated. Carolyn didn't even seem to notice that I hadn't reached any pleasure. When I pulled away from her, she reached down on the ground for her panties and purse and pulled a business card out of her bag.

"Call me anytime," she murmured, kissing my lips. I threw up a little in my mouth.

Swallowing back the bile, I said, "Absolutely."

As soon as she was out of sight, I removed the condom and threw it in the dumpster along with the business card. I stood for a moment feeling terrified. I had never gone soft like that. Was I suddenly impotent? I heard people leaving the front entrance of the bar and a car door shut in the distance.

Pulling myself together, I slowly made my way to my Jeep. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to go back to school and major in something else. However, that thought didn't last long because my mind kept drifting to Rebecca.

I felt…uneasy….as though something wasn't right. What if something happened to her? Was that why she seemed to be with me more than usual tonight, hanging over me like some kind of ghost? I could feel that something was wrong with her. If Ian hurt her in anyway, I'd rip him to shreds. As much as I hated to admit it though, I couldn't see him doing that to her.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off…really off.

And as it turned out…I was right.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_A/N – Sorry for giving you another scene of Embry having promiscuous sex, but believe me when I say, it was a necessary scene. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. _

_Just as an fyi…I'm picturing Paul Walker when I think of Ian. Also, thanks SassyAni for some information I needed for this chapter._

_**Now, I'm going to give you a shameless bribe…I have the next chapter almost done. Please review and I'll post it in the next couple of days. And trust me when I say you're going to want to read what's coming up next. :D**_

_Finally, I'd like to take a moment to pimp out a story new to this site. An author that I've gotten to know on another site has decided to post her story here. It is by far the best fan fic I have ever read. It's about EJ Black, Ness and Jacob's son, and his imprint. I love this character. And the story has everything: suspense, romance, angst, drama, and so many twists and turns, you'll always be kept guessing. The story is called "The True Alpha: The EJ Black Chronicles" by DazzledbyJake. It is a sequel to her other story (also an excellent read) called My Renesmee (Edward's POV)/The Choice. You don't have to read it first to understand "The True Alpha," but it might help you better understand the background information. I hope you check it out._

http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5419782/1/The_True_Alpha_The_EJ_Black_Chronicles


	9. Without Understanding

_A/N – Thank you everyone for the reviews on the previous chapter! I'm very excited to bring you this chapter. I know a lot of you have been asking for this one for awhile, so without further ado…I bring you Rebecca's perspective._

**Chapter 9 – Without Understanding**

Rebecca's POV

I reached up and brought his head to me, our lips mashing against each others in urgent need. I loved his face…his incredibly beautiful brown eyes, his dark hair, his high cheekbones, the slight dent in his chin that emphasized his chiseled features.

He entered me and I moaned in sheer ecstasy as he set a pace that had me soon reaching a dizzying explosion of feeling. My heart raced as I tried to get my breath back. He kissed me one more time, long and sensual before slowly removing himself from me, sending further tingles of pleasure throughout my already sensitized body.

"Baby, that was so good."

My eyes flew open and I looked up into the blond haired, blue eyed features of my husband. I smiled weakly at him as guilt consumed me. He left the bed and began to pull out fresh clothes from the dresser.

"Ian, why don't you stay home today...we'll make a day of it?" I practically begged.

I didn't want Ian to leave me. The restlessness I always seemed to have these days whenever I was left alone too much began to work its way back into my system. Ian returned to the bed and sat down next to me.

"You know I can't Becca. We have a bunch of tourists who booked surfing lessons today. I can't leave Hank to handle a class size like that by himself. As it is, I'm already going to be away from the school for a week starting tomorrow. I'm leaving for that surfing competition in Cocoa Beach, remember?"

"Oh," I muttered. "I forgot."

"You sure you don't want to come with me?" Ian asked.

"No…that's okay," I sighed. "Marissa and I were talking about rearranging the gallery display. It'll take a few days to do."

Ian smiled and gave me one more kiss before getting up to take a shower. I rolled over and pulled his pillow to me. I drifted off to sleep and woke up an hour later. I was going to have to go into the gallery in a couple of hours. Maybe I'd go in earlier though just so I could avoid the anxiousness I felt.

Sighing, I got out of bed and took a shower of my own. I dressed in some capris and a tank top and headed outside. We had a house that was near the beach. I walked to it, relishing the feel of the pale sand beneath my feet. I sat down and cupped some of it up in my hand, letting the fine grain drift through my fingers. It was so different than the pebbled beaches of La Push.

And just like that the lid holding my emotions in check blew off and fierce longing consumed and crippled me. I put my head wearily on my drawn up knees and tried for the millionth time to understand my reaction. Why? Why was I so drawn to La Push? For so long, whenever I thought of the reservation, I could only think of my mom and the accident that took her life and crippled my father.

Pain shot through me again as I thought of my dad. I wanted to see him and my sister again. I wanted to see Paul, Devlin, and Sean. I wanted to see--"

I got up and began to pace. I wanted to see my family…no one else. There was no other reason for me to return to La Push, except to see my family. I was homesick. That was all. It wasn't like I was fantasizing about…I mean I didn't fantasize every day about…

_Embry_

I sucked in a sharp breath as the strange yearning I felt became even fiercer. I stared out at the ocean, its beauty lost on me today. Admitting defeat, I acknowledged to myself that I wanted to see Embry. It wasn't the first time I had this internal debate with myself and it wouldn't be the last. Every day it seemed that I tried to talk myself into at least calling him. Maybe if I just picked up the phone and heard his voice, it would help me to understand my reaction to my friend. I'd had this impulse since I saw Embry again at Jake's wedding rehearsal.

I had been shocked when he walked into the Cullens' backyard. I had been expecting to see little Embry. When I last saw him, he was this abnormally shy teen, whose voice cracked and who blushed every time I spoke with him.

Instead, I saw a completely different person. Embry had grown up. He was tall, handsome, and still slightly on the thin side, but you could tell that underneath his clothes, he was pure muscle.

And when he looked at me, I had felt like a queen…cherished and adored. Standing at that rehearsal, I had wanted Embry to take me in his arms and never let go. In front of the minister, my husband, and the rest of Jake's wedding party, I hadn't cared. My reaction had confused me. I had only ever seen Embry as my little brother. I was married to Ian, a man who I loved and respected. I had passed it down as lust, pure and simple. Embry had grown into an incredibly handsome man. It was understandable that I would feel an attraction to him.

When we had danced at the reception, it had been one of the most heavenly experiences I had ever known. I had felt like I had been drugged just from being Embry's presence. He had me completely intoxicated by his embrace. I had allowed myself to fantasize briefly that I was free. I plastered myself against him. And my poor husband had witnessed it all. Ian had walked up to us and insulted me. Embry had looked like he was going to deck him. I'd felt like I had deserved it though…I'd been acting shamefully in front of everyone.

Ian had been so nervous to come to La Push and meet all my friends and family. He had only met my dad, sister, and Paul before. And how did I reward him? By draping myself all over some man in front of him. Ian has always had a tendency to speak before he thinks. I understood that, though we did get into a fight later on that night over his treatment of Embry. He could insult me…we hardly ever fought so I could handle his rare bits of temper, but how dare he insult my friends.

My husband and I made up. But that night had triggered a secret fascination for me regarding Embry. There was something about him that drew me to him. Even when we were younger, Embry would follow me around like a puppy and I never minded. And I had watched him grow from a sweet, unsure kid to an almost painfully shy teenager. But when people got to know him, they discovered how wonderful he was. I knew even when we were younger that there was something special about Embry.

I didn't think I'd ever forget his kindness when Rachel had her miscarriage a few years ago. He had been so good to me. I don't think I would have been able to handle Rachel's suffering if Embry hadn't been there for me. What made me cringe though was how close I had come to kissing him the night Rachel lost her baby. He had brought me home from the hospital and had held me in his lap and had offered me comfort. In that moment, I had wanted to feel his lips against mine so bad it made me feel sick when I thought about it the next day.

But while he held me, I hadn't cared if I was married or not. I couldn't even remember Ian's features. I had wanted to feel Embry's lips on mine. I had wanted to let the passion that seemed to be just below the surface erupt between us. I knew Embry wanted it to. I had felt his desire against my body.

But as I'd leaned in closer to finally give in to the need I felt, Ian had popped in my mind. My husband who had been so good to me since the day we said our vows. The man who helped me through the grief of losing my mom. The man who comforted me each night in his arms as I cried out the pain of my loss. I owed Ian so much more than to give in to a weak moment of temptation. So I kissed Embry on the cheek and bid him goodnight.

I tried to remain distant. I fought the temptation again when Embry and I had gone to that club. I had desperately wanted to let my hormones run free and kiss and make love to him. He had become an addiction that I didn't even care to resist. But my wedding ring caught my eye and I was reminded again that Ian deserved so much better.

When Embry had driven me to the airport on that trip, I had almost confessed my conflicting emotions to him. I hadn't wanted to leave him. I'd contemplated briefly telling him how I was feeling…that for reasons unknown to me, I could barely handle leaving his side. But I didn't. Instead, I got on a plane and returned to my husband.

I stayed away. For three long years I stayed away from La Push and tried my best to forget Embry and my strange attraction to him. I passed off my feelings as a sick lust…the temptation of the forbidden fruit. That was all it was.

I gave my full attention to Ian and our marriage. And while I told myself that I was proud that I had resisted giving in to what I secretly wanted, my heart wept. I began to feel restless and depressed. I felt like I had an internal countdown in my head reminding everyday how long it had been since I saw Embry last. But I buried my ever growing need and hid my pain behind a bright smile, and Ian never guessed how close I had come to throwing away everything we had built together. And in the end I had convinced myself that my attraction to Embry was just a whim.

When Rachel had told me she was pregnant again, I'd felt instantly terrified for her. I had even told her what a stupid, selfish thing she was doing to Paul, Devlin, dad, Jacob, and to me. But I hopped on the first flight back to La Push as soon as there was a hint of trouble. And there waiting for me again at the airport was Embry.

Seeing him again was like truly returning home. The restlessness, the painful longing I felt, all disappeared as soon as I laid eyes on him. Later that night, he had held me in his arms and our lips finally joined together. The feel of his lips against mine had been the single greatest pleasure of my life. And even as I went to deepen the kiss, a voice screamed at me to remember Ian.

Yet, apart of me didn't even care. I was glad that I had finally tasted his lips. I had felt whole for the first time in a long time. But Embry had made sure to emphasize that our kiss was nothing but a gesture of comfort on his part, and my heart broke a little. Afterwards, he had treated me distantly, which in turn made me feel deep, abiding shame. I had wanted Embry to kiss me. I had wanted him to plaster me against the vending machine and have his wicked way with me. And when I wasn't thinking of those fantasies, I was thinking of my husband. How would he feel knowing that I had wanted desperately to sleep with another man?

Although I'd felt sick with guilt, I spent every conceivable second I could with Embry that I could while Rachel recovered. He was warm, generous, funny, and I found myself dreading the day when I would have to leave again. But finally I had no excuse to stay, and with sadness weighing on me, I let Embry take me to the airport, and I returned to my life in Hawaii.

And so now, here I was…on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and I didn't see any of it. I was completely alone and completely miserable. Ian was at his school…again. I couldn't resent it though. The school had been a dream of his since he was a kid. He was building up quite a name for himself, both for the school and as a professional surfer. I was so proud of him. Even if I wished he'd sometimes remember me.

I felt like I was holding on by a thread. I needed Ian's attention. Needed him to be there for me…to distract me. I was also physically and emotionally tired. I felt like I was constantly battle an unknown opponent, hidden somewhere inside me.

I sat back down on the sand and wrapped my arms around my legs so my chin could rest on my knees. I wanted to go home. Not back to my house in Hawaii, but back to La Push. I wanted…needed…to see Embry. The pain of not seeing him was getting worse and worse. I had been able to resist him for so long. But since our kiss, I wanted to see him so much that it caused me physical pain. Sighing, I forced myself to get up and walk back to my house. When I got there, there was a note waiting for me.

_Tourists cancelled. Decided to leave for Florida today instead of tomorrow. _

_Lots of Love, _

_Ian_

Fury erupted within me. I needed my husband, dammit! I needed him before I did something stupid. And what does he do? He leaves me on my own for a week. I went into my room and sat on the bed, covering my face with my hands.

_Go home…you need to go home…you need Embry…. _

I knew I shouldn't. I knew it would destroy my life as I knew it if I went to see Embry. What could I hope to achieve? A dirty one night stand? An affair? I would ruin my marriage. And all the while I was telling myself this, the persistent voice in my head kept getting louder and louder.

_You need Embry. You need Embry._

I felt like I was suffocating. Embry's face flashed in my mind and I was able to take a much needed breath.

_Please don't do what you're about to do_, a voice suddenly yelled inside my head.

I ignored that voice. With trembling hands, I reached for my phone and called my business partner to tell her I would be out of town for a few days and wouldn't be able to help at the gallery. I called the airlines next and booked my flight to Washington. I felt guilt and anticipation fill me as I packed my suitcase.

The flight went quickly. As soon as I reached Seattle, I rented a car and headed towards La Push. I didn't know what I was going to say Embry…all I knew was that I needed to talk to him. As I drove, I called the garage he owned with Quil.

"La Push Auto Shop…Mike speaking," a man's voice said.

"Hello, is Embry there?" I asked nervously.

"He already left for the day." Mike responded.

"I...uh…I don't suppose you know if he was headed for home? I'm trying to get a hold of him."

"Who's asking?"

"This is Jacob Black's sister," I told him.

"Oh…he said something about going to Skinny's."

"Okay, thank you."

We ended the call and I began to nervously prep what I was going to say. Meeting him in a bar was hardly the place to talk, but it would at least give us some time alone.

What was I going to say to him though? Did I tell him everything? That I felt scared and unsure unless I was with him. That I felt like something was missing in my life unless he was around. I spent the five hour drive running through the different things I needed to tell him. I finally reached Forks and drove by Skinny's Bar. Sure enough, I immediately recognized Embry's Jeep.

Oh God…what if he completely ignored me or was indifferent towards me? What if he was surprised by my presence here and didn't want anything to do with me? What if he thought I was nothing but a cheap, adulterine slut? Or what if my attraction to him was one sided? I had once asked Rachel how Embry was doing and she had told me in a disgusted tone that he was good, considering he was sleeping with half the women in the state. It had pained me to hear, though I had no right to feel that way. I had never asked Rachel about him again.

I pulled the rental car into the spot next to Embry's car. Taking a deep breath, I wiped my hands down my jeans nervously and hesitated before berating myself. I'm a Black! I'm the outgoing twin who always speaks my mind! I'd talk to Embry and then…then I didn't know what I'd do. Was I willing to throw away my 14 year marriage, for what might only be physical attraction…at least on Embry's part?

Cursing my cowardliness, I forced myself out of the car and headed towards the bar. As I approached the building, I heard a moan coming from somewhere around the corner. For reasons I couldn't explain, I began to walk in that direction. I froze at the sight before me, my hand flying over my mouth.

I had found Embry…in the middle of having sex. The fumes of alcohol hit me, making me nauseous. I had a feeling that I could tap dance across his back and he wouldn't even know I was there. I watched with horror as the woman wrapped her legs even tighter around his waist, as he continued to thrust into her.

"Oh God Embry…I'm coming again," the woman said.

I quickly turned and went back to my car. I sat there for a moment, shaking hard. Some people came out of the bar, laughing and talking loud. I reached over and closed the car door. I turned the key in the ignition and took off, the car fish tailing out of the parking lot. I reached the outer limits of Port Angeles, before I pulled over and brought my still trembling hands to my face. I pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to stop the onslaught that I could feel coming.

A sob escaped my lips and I began to cry so hard I doubled over. My reaction was ridiculous and I cursed myself, even as a fresh wave of tears hit me.

Embry was a free agent. It was stupid of me to even come here. He had his life, and I had mine in Hawaii with my husband. Embry could do whatever he wanted. This was exactly the wake up call I needed. That's what I told myself anyway.

It didn't stop me from feeling…_betrayed._

There was no other word or explanation for how I felt right now. I felt betrayed. Seeing Embry with that woman hurt worse than if I had walked in on Ian with someone.

Oh God…Ian!

Shame hit me strong and fierce. I had a wonderful husband who loved and trusted me, and I almost threw him away for a womanizing pig. I was going to run back to Ian and never look back. This trip was the worst mistake I had ever made in my life. I was going to make sure I forgot all about Embry Call.

And with that resolve firmly in my head, I shifted the car back into drive and headed back to the airport.

_**A/N – Poor Embry really has the worst luck. I loved reading your theories about this chapter. Some of you even guessed that she was there. ;) Okay, you've finally heard Rebecca's POV. Let me know what you think! Please Review.**_


	10. Welcome To The Party

**Chapter 10 – Welcome To The Party**

Embry's POV

I walked into Paul and Rachel's house carrying a gift bag. It was their son Devlin's 7th birthday. I wasn't sure what to get a kid that age, but the lady at the story pointed out a few choices. I decided to get him a Transformer toy. For one thing, they were kick ass. For another, I had to admit I found it sweet irony that I was getting a former shape-shifter's son a toy that could shift into another shape.

I walked through the house and entered the backyard where the festivities were being held. Sean, Paul's youngest son, waddled over to me as soon as he saw me. He was going to be two in another couple of months. Though Paul had insisted that Sean looked just like Rachel when he was born, the kid was a miniature of Paul. He certainly had Paul's strength. He didn't show any signs that he had once been a preemie. Rachel had also made a full recovery after the horrible time she had giving birth to him.

I picked him up and lifted him in the air. His attention was instantly drawn to the colorful bag in my hand.

"Whaz that Unca Embee?" Sean asked.

"Your brother's birthday present," I told him, before setting him back down on the ground.

He quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me over to where Rachel and Paul were. Over the past year and some odd months since I graduated from college, I had become increasingly close to the Wakeh family. I secretly thought my need to spend time with them had to do with the fact that Rachel looked so much like Rebecca. If I couldn't be with my imprint, her family could give me the slight fix I needed to survive.

It wasn't that I was attracted to Rachel. I couldn't even see her face. She was blurry to me like every other woman who wasn't my imprint. But just the fact that she shared the same DNA as her twin helped alleviate the longing I felt for Rebecca. Paul and Rachel were understanding enough that they let me hang out with them whenever the unsettledness I felt began to overwhelm me.

It was strange. Ever since my graduation night, I felt different. I tried to describe it to Sam once. It was like when a person goes to the dentist to have a cavity filled and they're given Novacaine. You can feel your face with your hand once your mouth goes numb, but it seems alien to you. That's how my body felt. It was like I was living inside someone else's body where the skin didn't quite fit the bone structure.

Something had happened to my imprint connection the night of my graduation. I knew Rebecca was all right. After I had walked away from that woman I had sex with that night, I had passed out in my car. As soon as I had woken up, I'd rushed to Rachel's house and made her call Rebecca. Rebecca amazingly had been awake, given that it had to be early in the morning for her. She'd grouchily told her sister she was fine and hung up the phone.

Just as I was about to have a full blown panic attack because I'd known, contrary to what Rebecca said, she wasn't fine, Rachel offered me coffee and we'd sat and talked. As we talked, the strange numbness settled in and it never quite left.

My anti-social behavior worsened. I had been distant with my friends before my graduation night, but now I was practically a recluse. The only time I seemed to get out anymore was when I was hanging out with Paul's family or when Sam asked me to patrol. My sex life had become non-existent. I never even thought about sleeping with another woman since that night. I never returned to school to get my teaching certificate either. I just went through the actions of life without really living it.

Even now as I watched Devlin run towards me with excitement flushing his face, I could only feel the lightest twinge of joy in his expression. Rachel took my gift bag from me and set it on the table with some other gifts.

"So, did you hear anything?" I asked Rachel. She had asked Rebecca to come home for the party, but Rebecca hadn't been sure what her plans were.

She shook her head, looking at me with sad concern, "Sorry Embry, Becks isn't going to make it to the party after all."

"Oh…okay," I said, trying to smile to hide my disappointment.

Knowing I probably looked even worse, I turned and went over to where Quil was sitting near the barbeque area drinking a beer. Quil was staring off in the distance with a frown etched heavily on his face. I knew he was having some problems with Claire lately. She had apparently tried to kiss him a few months ago, but Quil rejected her because she was only 14.

She had turned 15 last month and her behavior was getting worse and worse. She was a typical rebellious teen, but she seemed to be hell bent on taking her defiance to a whole new level. Last time I saw her, she was dressed all in black from her dyed hair to her black nail polish to her black shoes. She had just started a new school year and had already been expelled for a day because she had skipped class to go smoke in the school parking lot.

I knew that Quil was worried about her behavior, but I also knew he was concerned because he still couldn't see Claire in a romantic light. Whenever he tried to picture her as his future wife, something in his brain blocked him. It only added to his worry and grief.

"Hey man," I said.

"Hey," Quil muttered back as he turned the bottom of his beer bottle in the palm of his hand.

"How are things going? Any improvement with Claire?" I asked.

"She's hanging around some girls known for their drug use," Quil told me wearily as he ran a hand down his face tiredly. "I don't know how to reach her anymore. She's so mad at me for rejecting her. Every time I try to go see her or talk to her, she blows me off."

"Quil, she's only 15. She's a teenager…give her time."

Quil chuckled sardonically, "Time's all I have."

We both looked solemnly towards Devlin and his friends. Paul had set up a piñata and Devlin was trying to hit it. Dev was getting so big, but he still was enjoying every minute of his childhood. I sometimes wished I could go back to those simpler times.

"What about you?" Quil suddenly asked. "Any news on Becks?"

I shook my head sadly. "Rachel just told me Rebecca wasn't going to be able to make it back."

"Sorry man," Quil said sympathetically. I shrugged in return and began to ask him about the Seahawks.

The party continued for another hour. I was helping Paul with the barbeque when I froze. I felt my connection to Rebecca suddenly become stronger…stronger than it had been in a long time. I picked up her scent and began to look around frantically.

"Embry, you okay?" Paul asked with concern.

"She's here…Rebecca's here," I told him, excitement rising inside me.

Paul stepped away from the grill and sniffed the air. A smile broke out on his face as he picked up her scent. His sense of smell wasn't as strong as mine since he stopped phasing, but his senses were still more developed than the average humans.

Just then, Rebecca came out the back door of the house with a present in her hand. I wanted to run to her and grab her and never let go. Rachel got to her before I could and gave her twin a fierce hug.

"Becks! I didn't think you were going to make it!"

"Change of plans," Rebecca smiled back though I noticed tension around her mouth.

I walked over to her immediately. I went to hug her but when she saw me, she instantly stiffened. I stopped in my tracks as her gaze went right by me.

"Hello Embry, nice to see you again," she said formerly, not even looking at me. I might as well have been a distant acquaintance for all the warmth she showed me.

She looked across the yard and her face lit up slightly as she saw her nephews. She made her way over to them without acknowledging me any further. Rachel looked at me with confusion before she followed her twin. I felt like I had my heart ripped out and stomped on. What had I done to make my imprint act like that towards me?

I watched as Rebecca went up to Devlin and gave him a big hug. Sean was a little bit shyer around his aunt, but considering she looked exactly like his mom, he immediately warmed up to her. Quil, Seth, and the rest of the pack went up and hugged her and she enthusiastically hugged them back. It was like a huge family reunion, and I was the pathetic outcast, standing just outside the circle, completely unwelcome.

I made my way over to where Sam and Emily were standing with their son Nate. Nate was 11 now and he was huge; much too tall for the average kid his age. He wasn't paying attention to anything around him. He was too busy playing with some hand held video game. Not too far from them was Sam's daughter, Gracie, and the wolf that imprinted on her, Ryan. Gracie was nine and heavily into ballet. Even now, she was making Ryan practice with her by helping her twirl. While a wolf performing ballet might usually be a source of mockery, Ryan was just so happy being close to his imprint, everyone left him alone. Hopefully for Ryan, Gracie's passion for the finer arts wouldn't last long.

"Hey," Sam said as I walked up to him and Emily. He had his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Hi," I responded. From my new vantage point, I could stare at Rebecca from across the yard without being too obvious.

"Are you happy to have Rebecca back?" He asked in a low tone.

"Sure," I said vaguely, hardly paying attention.

Rebecca's face suddenly jerked away from her nephews and skimmed the yard. I waited with baited breath for her eyes to make contact with mine, but instead they went right by me as though I was invisible. I felt gutted, but I also felt very confused.

What the hell was going on here? Seeing her again in the flesh proved to me that something was off between us and it wasn't just my imagination. I knew Rebecca. I had sometimes felt closer to her when I was younger than I had to Jacob and Quil. We had always been bonded even before I imprinted on her. So it didn't make sense to me whatsoever that she was now treating me like a social pariah.

The party continued throughout the day. Devlin opened up all of his presents. He loved mine. Cake and ice cream were soon served. I tried talking to Rebecca several times, but each time she saw me coming towards her, she somehow maneuvered herself so she didn't have to speak with me. I noticed Rachel frowning several times as she watched the exchanges between Rebecca and me.

Feeling frustrated, I made my way to the side of the house so I could get a moment alone. I pinched the bridge of my noise. If shape-shifters ever got headaches, I was fast on my way to getting one. I thought it would have meant everything in the world for Rebecca to be back in La Push. But given the current distance between us, she might as well have stayed in Hawaii. There was an invisible wall between us that I couldn't breach, and what pissed me off was I didn't understand why it was there in the first place. It was like I was trying to solve a mystery and the biggest clue was missing. Yet, I felt it should be obvious too.

I didn't know how long I stood there before I heard Rebecca's voice coming somewhere from the front of the house. Turning my head, I could see her walk into my view a short distance away. She didn't notice me because she was on her phone.

"I got your messages," Rebecca told whoever she was talking to.

"Well…at least you returned them. I didn't think you'd give me the courtesy," Ian's voice returned. I could pick up the anger in his voice even from the distance I was from her and her phone.

"What do you want, Ian?" Rebecca sighed.

"I want to talk about what we were discussing before you left." Ian said.

"And I don't. I think you've made your position more than clear," Rebecca replied bitterly.

"You're being ridiculous," Ian argued.

"I'm being ridiculous?" Rebecca repeated incredulously. "No…you know what? I'm not going to do this. I'm at my nephew's birthday party…a nephew I never get to see and I'm not going to get into it with you right now."

"So you're going to blame that on me too?" Ian asked sarcastically.

"Goodbye Ian," Rebecca said before hitting the end button on the phone.

She looked at it for a moment before chucking it hard across the yard. It hit a tree, shattering into several pieces. Rebecca pressed the palms of her hands to her forehead letting out a quiet sob. I couldn't take it anymore and took a step towards her.

I felt a restraining hand suddenly on my arm. Looking down, I noticed Rachel staring at me. She shook her head before walking towards her twin. She had obviously seen her sister's standoffish behavior with me. It nearly killed me, but I didn't go and comfort my imprint as I wanted to. Instead, I watched her twin walk to her and wrap her arms around her.

"I'm sorry," Rebecca wept against Rachel's shoulder. "I'm ruining Dev's party. I shouldn't have come here."

"Hey, I don't want to hear that," Rachel said. "You're always welcome."

Rachel pulled back and pushed away the damp hair clinging to Rebecca's face.

"How long are you going to be in town for?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know…maybe a few weeks." Rebecca sniffed.

"Why don't you and I make plans to go to Seattle one weekend?" Rachel suggested. "Just you and me. We can hang out and talk if you want."

"Yeah," Rebecca sniffed, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Rachel wiped away some of the tears still running down Rebecca's cheeks.

"C'mon, let's go get your face washed up, okay?" Rachel offered.

"Okay," Rebecca replied.

They went into the house through the front door. I stood frozen for a moment before slowly turning to head back to the backyard. A frown furrowed my forehead as I walked. Rebecca needed comfort but she obviously didn't want me. I could sense that she was mad at me. Then again, maybe it was Ian she was pissed at, and I was getting the blast of her hostility. With confusion weighing heavily on my shoulders, I returned to the party.

The next day I got up bright and early and headed back over to Paul's house. I was helping him rebuild a boat he had bought. I pulled into the driveway and looked around hopefully. I knew Rebecca was staying at Billy's but I was still optimistic that she'd show up here today. I knocked on the front door and to my immense happiness, Rebecca answered. She, however, didn't look happy to see me.

"Isn't it a little early to be visiting?" Rebecca asked.

She was wearing a pair of fleece pants and a long sleeved fitted t-shirt. Her long black hair was pulled into a ponytail. Even dressed in a way meant for comfort only, she looked like she could be on the cover of a magazine.

"I'm supposed to help Paul with his boat," I explained, taken back by her behavior.

"He and Rachel had to run into Forks for some grocery shopping."

"Oh," I replied. "So they asked you to babysit, huh?"

"Yeah."

We stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Rebecca sighed.

"You might as well come in and wait. They should be back any minute."

"Thanks," I said dryly. Wow, if her attitude got any warmer I might just freaking spontaneously combust.

I walked into the living room and noticed Devlin and Sean playing on the floor. Well, Sean was planted in front of the TV watching some tripped out kids show. I groaned as I noticed it was Yo Gabba Gabba. I had watched that with him a few times when I had babysat the kids for Paul and Rachel. Sean loved it, but the show seriously freaked me out.

"Hey Uncle Embry," Devlin called out. "You wanna be Megatron?"

He held up a Transformer toy. I noticed he had the other one I had given him for his birthday on his lap.

"Megatron…I think that would be the perfect one for Embry to play with," Rebecca said.

My eyebrows snapped together. I didn't know much about these toys, but I did know that Megatron was the bad guy. What really made me pause was the look she gave me…filled with such disappointment and disgust. My stomach turned slightly upon seeing that expression on my imprint's face.

"I'm going to make breakfast for the kids," Rebecca muttered, without looking back at me.

I sat on the floor next to Devlin, entertaining him as he played. Once when Devlin got too enthusiastic, his little brother turned and said "shush." Who knew a two-year-old could have such attitude? I tried to concentrate on the kids, but my heart wasn't really into playtime right now. My mind and body were too attuned to Rebecca, who I could hear moving around in the kitchen.

The sudden sound of glass breaking followed by Rebecca softly swearing caught my ear. I stood up instantly and headed towards the kitchen telling the boys to stay where they were. When I entered the room, I saw Rebecca standing over the sink with a towel to her hand. Glass was shattered on the counter and floor.

"What happened?" I asked urgently, making my way over to her.

"Nothing, I reached for a glass and it fell out of the cupboard, shattering before it hit the floor. Some glass flew up and hit my hand."

I went over to her and carefully lifted the towel out of the way. Blood began to seep again, but the cut didn't look deep enough to require stitches.

"I'll be right back," I told her before I turned and headed to the bathroom.

I grabbed the first aid kit I knew was in there. The first day I ever babysat the boys, Paul had shown me where it was three times before they left. He had made some serious threats to my life if anything happened to his boys while they were in my care. I ran back to kitchen and went over to Rebecca.

I lifted the towel off her hand again and inspected the wound to make sure there wasn't any glass in it. Next I treated it with some anti-bacterial cream before placing a Scooby-Doo band-aid on it.

"Scooby, really?" Rebecca muttered.

"Sorry, I think that's all Paul and Rach have," I explained. "I'd love to see Paul in one of these."

I looked at her, still holding her hand. She had mirth in her eyes and looked truly happy for the first time since she had come back. As she stared back at me, the laughter slowly drained, and I caught a glimpse of such misery that it took my breath away. She quickly removed her hand and bent down to start picking up glass.

"I've got this," I told her.

"Fine." She didn't argue. "I'm going to check on the boys for a minute."

As I was finishing cleaning up, I heard Paul and Rachel return. After the groceries were brought in, Rachel and Rebecca finished getting breakfast ready for the boys. Paul and I headed outside to work on the boat.

"What'd you do to piss Rebecca off so bad?" Paul asked.

"What makes you think I did anything?" I returned.

"I think you'd have to be blind not to notice her attitude towards you at the party yesterday. Hell, everyone noticed."

"Well, your guess is as good as mine." I replied, focusing some of my anger and frustration on the boat.

I began to sand one spot for so long that I was beginning to damage it. Sighing, I switched to another area of the boat. Around noon, we finally decided to take a break and grab a beer. As we headed indoors, I noticed Devlin planted in front of the TV. Sean was no where to be seen which meant he was down for his afternoon nap. As we headed towards the kitchen I could hear Rachel and Rebecca talking quietly.

"…It's just weird that Embry's here all the time." Rebecca said. I froze as I heard my name. Paul did too. He turned to look at me with concern.

"Why is it weird? We've known him almost all our lives. And Paul and I have gotten really close to him this past year. I don't know what you have against him."

"I just think…I don't know…he just seems kind of like a sleaze."

"Embry?" Rachel remarked in disbelief. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"Never mind, it has nothing to do with me," Rebecca said somewhat angrily.

"Becks--"

"Seriously, can we drop this? I shouldn't have even said anything. I've got enough to deal with right now and Embry's not worth arguing over. So when do you want to leave for Seattle?"

I turned and walked out of the house without another word. I jumped in my car and took off to the garage. It was Saturday and I told the guys I wouldn't be in, but I needed a distraction and since I no longer used the bar and women as an escape from my problems, grease and oil would have to do.

I couldn't get her words out of my head though no matter how hard I worked.

_Sleaze…Not worth it…_

For what seemed like the millionth time, I wondered what the fuck I had done to piss Rebecca off so bad. As I worked, I made myself a promise. This trip home would be different. I needed to figure out what I had done wrong. My life had been unsettled for too long and I knew it was because of whatever I did to disrupt our connection.

I also knew I couldn't let Rebecca leave again without telling her how I felt. I couldn't take it anymore…of just going through life without living it, of not knowing if Rebecca cared for me in the slightest way. Going by the conversation in the kitchen, I would say it was a definite no, but I still needed to know.

This trip home, we were going to have it out.

And to hell with the consequences.

_**A/N – Next chapter will be back in Rebecca's POV. Please review!**_


	11. Pain In The Ass

**Chapter 11 – Pain In The Ass**

Rebecca's POV

I opened the front door of my dad's house to head outside when I ran smack into someone. His arms quickly wrapped around me to keep me from falling. I knew instantly from his familiar scent that it was Embry.

Embry had a very earthy smell to him that was uniquely his. A mix of rainwater and forest. It was comforting and for a brief second I let my head rest against his chest as I let his nearness consume me. With my imagination working in overdrive, I even thought I felt him lightly kiss my hair which caused my heart to leap.

And then I remembered the last time I saw him, drunk off his ass, banging some tramp against a brick building. I pulled back and his arms dropped to his sides. It was ridiculous how much I felt the loss of his warmth.

"My dad isn't here," I told him. I couldn't think of any reason he would be here other than to see my father.

"I know," he replied before saying hesitantly, "I was actually here to see you."

"Why?" I asked coldly.

I couldn't help but be reserved. Okay, fine. I was being a complete bitch to him, but I was already going through enough crap in my life without dealing with Embry and my misguided infatuation for him. It was an attraction I felt no matter how much I didn't want to. Damn the man!

"Do I need a reason to see you?" Embry asked in a surprised tone.

No, he didn't. It would probably be odd if we didn't hang out together while I was in town. We were practically family. The problem was that I didn't want anything to do with Embry. He just confused me and I needed to keep a clear head right now. I had some major decisions to make, and I didn't need his nearness distracting me.

"I was about to walk down to First Beach," I told him, trying to indicate by my tone that he wasn't welcome. If he picked up on it, he decided to ignore it.

"Great, I'll come with you."

I felt my mouth tighten as we began our walk to the beach in silence. He kept looking at me as though he wanted to say something. A few times he even opened his mouth to speak, but then he'd look down at the ground with a frown.

"How's your hand?" Embry finally asked.

"Fine, there's hardly a scratch," I replied, trying my hardest to keep my eyes off him.

He reached down and picked up the hand I had cut the other day when I broke a glass at Rachel's.

"No Scooby-Doo band-aid?" He joked, running a thumb across the raised skin.

"No…I heal really fast. I didn't need it anymore," I answered, pulling my hand out of his. Embry didn't say anymore as we finally reached the beach. I could feel my hand tingling where he had touched it.

We walked in silence for a minute before he said, "So how are things in Hawaii?"

Wrong thing to say.

"I don't want to talk about it," I snapped.

"Sure," he replied instantly, throwing me looks of concern.

We continued to walk silently by each other, which suited me just fine. And oddly, instead of being uncomfortable, I felt the tension leave my shoulders as I breathed in the fresh salty air of the ocean and Embry's calming scent. After we walked for an hour, I told him I was going to head back to my dad's.

"Same time tomorrow then?" Embry asked.

"Sure…why not," I replied, my heart beating erratically.

And thus began my schedule for the next two weeks. Every morning, bright and early, I'd meet Embry and we'd walk on the beach. For the most part we didn't speak. Embry would make a comment here and there sometimes, but I wasn't in a social mood and he seemed to respect that. I had a feeling that if Embry got me to talk, I'd crack and pour out my soul, and he was the last person I wanted to confide in. He didn't have any idea what I was going through. He was nothing but a womanizer, completely incapable of commitment.

I spent the rest of my time staying at my dad's…usually lying in bed sleeping or staring at the wall. I wasn't one to give into depression, but my spirits were so low that I was drained of energy and didn't want to move much. I only spoke to Ian one more time after Devlin's party, but since we kept arguing about the same old thing, I didn't bother to call him again or take his calls.

So I stayed in bed. Whenever I did wake from my slumber and forced myself to get out of bed for my daily walk with Embry, or to eat or use the bathroom, I'd usually find Embry in the house. He'd either be watching TV with my dad or reading. It was strange and more importantly stupid, but I liked knowing he was there. A part of me wanted to crawl into his lap and cry my heart out. But every time I wanted to give into the urge, I thought about that girl. It was ridiculous to be angry with him for that but I was. I was jealous and hurt, and I had no reason to feel that way, which only added to the depressed, confused feeling I had.

One morning while I was lying in bed, I heard my door creak open. It wasn't time for me to get up for my daily walk on the beach, so I ignored whoever came into my room. I felt a sudden weight on the bed, before someone pressed against my back and wrapped their arm around me.

"Get up," Rachel's voice spoke close to my ear. "We never get to see you and I've given you enough time to self-reflect. You're really freaking dad and Embry out."

"Why would Embry care?" I muttered.

I thought I heard Rachel mumble something that sounded like "you have no idea," but I didn't respond. Sighing, Rachel moved away from me and pushed on my shoulder until I was lying on my back. She looked down at me sadly.

"You promised me a trip to Seattle. I think it's time we went and talked. You're obviously going through something heavy and your current solution of being comatose or walking on the beach isn't working for you. So I'm ordering you as your older sister to get your ass out of this bed right now."

"Older by seven minutes," I replied though I felt a slight smile forming.

"Whatever…we're going. In fact, we're leaving in an hour, so I suggest you get up and get ready. I've already got our hotel booked and told Paul he's got daddy duty for the weekend. So get up."

She grabbed my arms and forced me to sit up.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a big pain in the ass?" I groaned.

"Paul tells me that all the time, but he still loves me and so do you. Now get up!"

"Fine," I grumbled.

I got out of bed and grabbed some fresh clothes out of my suitcase. I transferred some other clothes to my carry-on to take with me to Seattle, before heading to the bathroom for a shower. Once I finished getting ready, I went to find Rachel. I found her standing next to her car talking to Embry.

"Will you relax, she's going to be fine," Rachel said. Embry was about to say something in response, but he stopped to turn and look at me. How he even knew I was lingering in the doorframe was beyond me.

"Becks, you ready?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah."

Embry walked over and took my carry-on from me, all the while frowning in a disapproving manner. He placed it in the backseat next to Rachel's bag. He turned back and stared at me.

"What?" I finally asked.

He didn't say anything at first, before pulling me into his arms for a brief hug. Was it wrong that I never wanted him to let go? But he did.

Pulling away, he said, "Have a good time."

"Sure, sure." I replied before getting into the car.

"And we're off," Rachel said, smiling brightly at me before shifting the car into drive. I couldn't help glancing in the passenger side mirror. Embry kept his eyes on the car until I could no longer see him.

We did the five hour drive talking about non-threatening issues. I kept the subject off of my life in Hawaii. We checked into the hotel and spent the rest of the day walking around town. We even went to the movies. I finally began to truly relax and feel some happiness. I loved being with my twin. I missed her so much and it felt really good spending this time with her.

The next day we power shopped. I bought a new phone to replace the one I destroyed when I threw it against a tree. Around lunchtime, we stopped at a restaurant. While we were sitting at a table waiting for the waiter, I noticed Rachel continuously looking at me. Sighing, I folded the menu.

"What's on your mind?" I asked.

"I'm waiting," Rachel said.

"For?"

"You to tell me why you really came home," Rachel replied. "I've tried to respect your need to work out whatever you're going through on your own, but it's not working. You're miserable. So why don't you tell me what's happening?"

I stared blankly at the table before leaning back in my chair and slouching.

"I got in a really bad fight with Ian," I admitted. Rachel didn't say anything, just stared at me expectantly.

"You know what he told me on my birthday? I thought he was finally going to tell me he was ready to start our family, and instead he told me he wanted to open up another surfing school on another island. I mean, we never see each other anyway because he's too busy making a name for himself. I'm 33, how much longer do I have to wait? And he's been promising me for years now that once things calmed down at work, we could start a family."

"Our birthday was a few months ago…why get into it now?" Rachel asked.

"Things have gotten progressively worse lately. It seems we fight all the time anymore. During this last fight, he said he wasn't even sure he wanted kids," I said, completely heartsick before adding, "It hasn't been just the last few months that we've had problems either. We've been growing distant for years."

"Since Jacob's wedding?" Rachel asked casually, not quite meeting my eyes. I frowned at her in return, my heart speeding up slightly for reasons unknown to me.

"No," I answered honestly. "It started before that. Ever since he opened that school. It's consumed him more and more."

"Why didn't you ever tell me you were having problems?" Rachel wondered.

I shrugged. "I don't know…I guess because you and Paul always seemed so happy. I didn't want you to worry."

"Oh Becks…you've been unhappy for so long and I never even knew. I'm so sorry," Rachel said sadly. I shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the painful lump in my throat.

Rachel continued, "So what are you going to do about Ian?"

"I don't know. It just seems like we want different things from life anymore. He wants fame and his school and traveling all over the world. I can even understand what drives him. His dad constantly told Ian he'd never amount to anything right before he abandoned his family. Ian's mother always struggled to put food on the table. I know that's a big reason Ian acts the way he does. He wants to prove something to his worthless father, and I've made allowances for that, but…I want to settle down and have kids before I'm too old to have them. I want a husband at home every once in awhile instead of someone who's off to the next surfing competition half way around the world. Is that selfish?"

"No, of course not," Rachel replied sympathetically. "Are you thinking about leaving him permanently?"

"I keep asking myself that very question. Do I throw away a 15 year marriage because I can't get what I want? Or do I stick it out, no matter how miserable we're starting to make each other."

"Have you tried marriage counseling?" Rachel suggested.

"I've suggested it, but Ian won't hear of it. He wants to go on thinking our marriage is fine," I explained. To my horror, I felt tears begin to well up before I admitted shamefully, "It sounds horrible Rach, but…I'm really beginning to resent him."

"I guess there's only one question you need to ask yourself then. Are you still in love with Ian…enough to fight for him?" Rachel asked.

I thought of my husband. He had his faults. Aside from the children issue and his preoccupation with his career, he had a temper and also had a tendency to speak before he thought, but he could also be kind and generous. And the sex had always been amazing. We'd sometimes get into terrible fights, but the makeup sex was always incredible. But it wasn't just about sex. He made me laugh when I wanted to cry and held me when I needed to be held…when he was around that was. And I would always feel grateful to him for how much he helped me when my mom died. Even though I was angry at him right now and felt frustrated with our life together, I knew I would always love him.

"Yes, I still love him." I told her. "But I don't know if it's enough anymore."

"What about Embry?" Rachel asked softly. I felt my heart skip a beat.

"What about him?" I questioned, feeling my cheeks begin to flush with guilt.

"Becks, c'mon…I'm your twin. I think I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. And I'd have to be a blind moron not to see the sparks between you two."

How did I answer this? I grew up with Embry. He had always been apart of my life since I was nine and he was five. I couldn't deny that I felt something for him…and it scared the hell out of me. But after what I had witnessed last year…I didn't know what I felt…whether it was hate, disgust, or something else.

"I care about him very much," I told my twin.

"Care? That's it?"

"What else should I feel?" I asked angrily.

Rachel sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't know. How about this incredible need to always be with him? What about feeling empty when you don't get to speak to him or touch him? What about feeling lost because he's not nearby, or like a part of you is missing if you don't see him for long periods of time…and the feeling gets worse with each passing second that you're separated from him."

I couldn't speak if I wanted to. My sister had described exactly how I had felt for the past six years.

Finally, I whispered ashamedly, "How do you know?"

"How you feel?" Rachel asked. "Because I feel the exact same way when I'm away from Paul. Even now, sitting here with you enjoying our girl's weekend, a part of me is counting down till I can see Paul again. And I know he feels exactly the same way."

Rachel hesitated before saying, "Remember my college boyfriend Greg? I was in love with him. We had dated for a year and things were getting serious. Then I came home for my summer break and saw Paul."

Rachel paused as she laughed at the memory.

"I had always thought Paul was an obnoxious jerk. The summer before, I had gone to a Fourth of July party with Jacob. I went to use the bathroom, and I accidentally entered a bedroom and walked in on Paul having sex with his girlfriend. He said some horrible things to me. I thought he was absolutely hideous. Nothing shocked me more than coming home the next summer and running into him on the beach. He looked a lot different physically. And when our eyes met I felt…"

"What?" I asked when Rebecca paused.

"I felt like I had finally found my way home. I felt whole. It made me rethink my whole relationship with Greg. He was safe and uncomplicated and I needed that stability, especially when I was still struggling with my grief over Mom. But my feelings for Greg were nothing compared to my feelings for Paul. I had met my other half, the person I was meant to be with. At the end of my summer break, I returned to campus for the next school year and resumed my relationship with Greg. It lasted for a few months before I broke up with him. I didn't want the safe, comfortable choice. I wanted my soul mate. I realized that while I still loved Greg, I wasn't _in_ love with him anymore."

"It's not the same thing," I said. "I can't just throw my marriage away for some guy I'm attracted to."

"If that's all you feel for Embry, then no you shouldn't. But if you find that your need to be with Embry is outweighing your feelings for Ian…is it really fair to you, Ian, or Embry to stay in a relationship just because it's comfortable?"

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Really?" Rachel asked. "Then how come when I asked if you were still in love with Ian, you only said you loved him? There are plenty of friends I love, but I'm _in_ love with Paul."

"Embry's no good for me," I replied stubbornly.

"And Ian is?"

"Don't…" I said angrily. "Ian doesn't deserve that."

"Becks…I want you to be happy. And if Ian doesn't make you happy, and from what you're telling me you're not…why stay with him? I mean, you married him so young at a time when you were still reeling from Mom's death. You've grown up and changed so much since then. Perhaps Ian was good for you then, but maybe what you need now is someone else. Someone who wants out of life the same things you do. I think Embry could make you very happy."

I shook my head, "Trust me…Embry's not the type to want one woman."

Rachel laughed at that. "You don't know how wrong you are about that."

"I'm not…trust me on this okay," I insisted.

Rachel straightened in her chair and stared for a moment.

"Why do you say this? What's got you so convinced that Embry's the bad guy?"

"Because I saw him," I finally burst out. "I came home last year and saw him having sex with some trash against the outside wall of a bar!"

"You came home?" Rachel replied in surprise.

"Yes. I was stupid enough to act on my feelings. You want me admit something that I haven't told a soul? You want my dirty confession? Here it is. I've wanted to sleep with Embry since the moment I saw him at Jake's wedding rehearsal. There have been times when I wanted to forget all about Ian just so I could hear Embry's voice. Sometimes I think I'll go crazy if I don't see him. Even when I have sex with Ian, I picture Embry in my head. Is that what you want to hear?"

I swallowed painfully before continuing.

"And since it's confession time, here's something else. I'm a horrible sister. You don't know how fucked up I am Rach. During the time you had your miscarriage, I almost kissed Embry. I even hung all over him like a slut the night we went dancing. Remember? You had just gotten out of the hospital. You were depressed because you had lost your baby and all I could think about was Embry. I stayed away for three years after that, hoping that it would be enough to make me forget about my attraction to him."

Several tears spilled from my eyes. I couldn't look up as I told my sister the most damning part of my confession.

"You know what's really sick, Rach? When you told me you were having complications with your pregnancy with Sean I was…relieved. You were in danger and I was relieved because it meant I had an excuse to come home and see Embry. And now here you are telling me you know me better than I know myself. You could have died when you were pregnant, and I was relieved that I had a reason to be with Embry again. Even when you were having your caesarian, I was in the waiting room kissing Embry. How fucked up is that?"

I finally forced myself to glance up and look at Rachel. She didn't look at me in disgust as I feared she would. She scooted her chair over so she could reach over and hug me.

"I have been blind, haven't I?" She murmured. "You needed him. That's not a crime."

"Why don't you hate me?"

"Because I know you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me, anymore than I would want something to happen to you if the roles were reversed. But I know what it's like to love someone that much. If I had to go years without seeing Paul, I wouldn't be thinking rationally either."

"I don't love Embry," I quickly pointed out and felt my stomach lurch painfully.

"Right…because you love Ian."

"That's right," I said defensively.

"Let me ask you something," Rachel said. "Where was Ian while you were being comforted by Embry? Why wasn't he at the hospital with you?"

"I told him not to come," I explained.

"His wife's twin could have died and he didn't come to make sure you were okay? But Embry was there for you, wasn't he? Embry will always be there for you."

I went to defend Ian, but a sudden image of Embry popped in my head. When Rachel was in the hospital and gravely ill, I had told Embry to go…that he didn't need to stay. He had insisted on staying, making sure I was looked after. He was there for me when I needed someone. Same with the past couple of weeks. He knew something was wrong with me and never left me. He either walked on the beach with me or hovered nearby while I laid in bed for hours on end. Just as suddenly, the image of Embry having sex with that woman flew threw my mind, hardening my heart to him.

"Embry's not the type to settle down," I stated again. "You told me yourself that all Embry did was sleep around and drink."

"Okay, first of all, that was a few years ago. He was going through a rough time and that was how he handled it--"

"And that makes it okay?" I interrupted.

"Becks…what did you expect from him? He's a single guy in his 20s. Did you expect him to live like a monk on the off chance that you'd suddenly become available?"

"So what are you suggesting since you seem to be so gung-ho on Embry? Do you want me to give up on Ian? Is that what you're saying?"

"I just want what's best for you," Rachel retorted. "You're my only concern. I want you to be happy."

I suddenly felt exhausted. I covered my face with my hands and tiredly felt my heart battle my head. Did I continue with a marriage I wasn't even sure was worth fighting for anymore? Or did I throw the last 15 years of my life away for someone who may or may not be an immoral, womanizing drunk? I felt so confused.

"What should I do Rach?" I finally asked, trying in vain to hold back more tears.

"Talk to Embry…please. I think it will really help you."

I nodded slowly. We finished up our meal and continued our shopping. The subject of Embry wasn't brought up again for the rest of the trip. We left for La Push late the next day and arrived back around 10 pm. There were a few vehicles in our dad's driveway when we got there. My heart leapt when I recognized one as Embry's Jeep.

I grabbed my stuff out of Rachel's car and headed towards the house with anticipation building inside me. I was eager to talk to Embry. I had a feeling that our conversation would change my life.

I walked into the room and saw Embry and Sam Uley sitting on the couch. My dad was sitting next to them in his chair. Embry looked on edge, his hands balled into fists on his knees. I felt my brow furrow as I observed his tension.

My dad spoke up, "Becks, you have company."

I looked towards the hallway and noticed someone else standing there for the first time. I sighed silently and felt my shoulders slump.

"Hello Ian."

_A/N – If you look on my profile page, I've added a link to my photobucket account. You can check out banners for my stories as well as a family tree. Please note, the family tree contains **SPOILERS** if you haven't read my other stories._

_Update 1/23/10 – I've recently done a one-shot of Paul imprinting on Rachel. You can find it on my profile under the story title, "Apologetic Imprint (Paul's POV)." To clear up any confusion you might have, when Rachel walked in on Paul with his girlfriend at that party, he wasn't a wolf yet so he couldn't have imprinted._

_Please Review!_


	12. With Or Without You

_A/N - Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter as promised! Just another reminder that this story is rated M._

**Chapter 12 – With Or Without You**

Embry's POV

I was a bonafide pussy. Yep, there was no doubt about it. I had plenty of opportunities to tell Rebecca how I felt and instead I gave her freaking space. What guy does that? What guy honestly goes all sensitive and shit like I've been doing? I knew I needed to man up and tell Rebecca everything. And I needed to do it before fucking Ian Cleary waltzed off into the goddamn sunset with my imprint…again!

I had wanted to tell Rebecca the first day we walked on the beach together how I felt, but I had sensed she wouldn't have been receptive to what I had to say. She had obviously been dealing with something major given the sad, confused expression she'd been wearing on her incredibly gorgeous face. Now I was out of time.

While I was glad that Rachel had been able to rouse Rebecca out of her depressed state…a state that had terrified me to the point where I could hardly leave Billy's house for the past two weeks…I had panicked at the idea of them going off to Seattle. Rachel had assured me it was what her sister needed. I spent the time they were away either pacing around my house or trying unsuccessfully to get some work done at the garage while I waited for Rebecca's return.

As soon as Paul had called and told me the twins were on their way home, I had headed over to Billy's like a lovesick puppy dog and interrupted a meeting Billy was having with Sam. They didn't seem to mind and had let me stay. I'd waited impatiently for Rebecca to arrive home so we could finally have it all out. And what happens? Ian fucking Cleary shows up!

He had spent the night at Billy's. That much I knew. I also knew that Rebecca hadn't looked happy when she had come home to find Ian there. I had desperately wanted to pick her up in my arms and run off with her. Instead, I walked away.

Now I was driving myself crazy, pacing around my house. I didn't bother going into work this morning. I was so restless that when I went into work this weekend, Azra had told me he'd quit if I didn't get the hell out of the garage. Azra was a pretty laid back guy, though he had a wild streak to him. He was always easy to patrol with because he minded his own business and kept his thoughts private. I knew he wasn't the type to let things bother him. I must have been pretty bad for him to get irritated. So instead of losing a great mechanic and possibly doing damage to the pack by pissing off my brother any further, I decided to stay home today. However, as I stared at the walls of my incredibly tiny house, I kept feeling as if they were going to close in on me.

What was going on with Rebecca? Did she and Ian work out whatever they were going through? Did they have sex last night? What if they were on their way home right now? All these thoughts kept racing through my brain, each one driving me a little more insane.

I couldn't take anymore and wrenched open my front door. I found myself headed towards the beach that was near my house. The questions continued to torment me as I walked. I was so lost in thought that I was surprised to hear Rebecca and Ian's voices in the distance. Freezing behind some trees, I took a look and saw that they weren't far from where I stood.

"…We've been drifting apart for years Ian. It didn't just happen overnight."

"Cut the bullshit Rebecca. This is about the kid thing, isn't it?"

Nothing would have given me greater satisfaction than to run down to the beach and knock Ian flat on his back. However, I forced myself to stay still due to the fact that I was shaking so hard I didn't know if I could control myself enough to phase.

"Kid thing? Is that how you describe it? You know how I've felt about having a baby. We've been planning one for years. You keep telling me you want to wait until the timing is right, but it's never going to be right for you Ian. Like you said before I left, you weren't even sure you wanted kids. You want to devote yourself 100% to your school. Fine…go do that."

"You're saying that like you want me to do that without you."

Rebecca didn't say anything.

"Is that what you want?" Ian asked.

"We just seem to want two very different things from life…"

"Becca…I don't want to lose you," Ian pleaded softly. "You want kids? Fine, let's try to have a baby. We can start working on that as soon as we get back home."

"I don't want to force you to have a baby if that's not what you really want. I don't want you to give me a baby as some kind of compromise. I want to have a baby with you because you want one with me…because you want to raise a family together. Having a baby right now when it's clear to me that you want other things out of life is not the solution we need."

"What do you want from me?" Ian shouted, clearly frustrated.

"I don't know…" Rebecca murmured. "I guess I just need some space right now."

"Fine," Ian said. "Call me if you decide to come home."

Ian turned and walked towards the parking lot of the beach. I soon heard a car rev up loudly and tires squealing as it left the area. Rebecca was standing near the edge of the water with her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. I left my spot and walked slowly towards her. My whole body began to ache as I got closer to her.

"Hey," I said gently.

Her only response was to reach up and wipe a tear from her face.

"So…did I just see Ian take off?" I asked, hoping I could get her to talk to me.

She was wound up so tight I thought she'd crack at the slightest pressure. Sharp invisible knives began to stab my skin and my stomach began to turn nauseatingly. Her pain was my pain. It was unbearable. Not even looking at me or responding to my question, she turned to walk away.

"Becks…" I stopped her from leaving by placing my hand on her shoulder. "Please talk to me."

"Why?" She asked looking back at the ocean before turning angrily on me. "Why are you so interested in my life?"

"Because…" I replied.

"Because why?" Rebecca demanded.

When I didn't say anything, she punched my chest.

"What is it with you, Embry? Why are you always around me? How come every time I come back to La Push you're there? WHY?"

I took a deep breath and told her the truth.

"Because…I'm in love with you."

I didn't expect her reaction. She laughed in a scoffing manner, shaking her head before turning and walking away from me. I ran in front of her and grabbed her shoulders.

"It's true…I've been in love with you for years."

"Really?" Rebecca replied angrily. "I've heard the rumors about you. People say you sleep with any female that walks in front of you! If half of what they say is true, then you're nothing but a fucking slut. I even came back once and saw you having sex with some skank against a building, which just confirmed what people were saying. So, don't you dare tell me you're in love with me."

I felt shock and self-disgust rip through me. When did she see me? And then I realized I knew exactly when…my graduation night. I knew something was off…that there had to be a reason she felt so real to me that night. It was because she was there and I had been too drunk to realize it! Why she was even there in the first place was something I'd ask her later if given the chance. Right now all I wanted to do was to take her in my arms and beg her to forgive me, even though the logical part of me knew there was no reason I had to explain myself.

I could have defended myself. I could have asked her what she expected from me considering she was off having sex with her husband this entire time. But I realized it didn't matter. I had hurt her and oddly that gave me hope, because that meant she had to care right? So instead of trying to excuse my actions, I accepted the blame of her accusation.

I also realized something in that moment. I had slept with so many women, so many countless faces, to punish Rebecca. I had knowingly betrayed her and did it as ruthlessly as possible. I had deliberately rejected our bond by sleeping with other women. And all of them had ended up being nothing but pathetic substitutes for Rebecca.

I shook my head sadly and whispered painfully, "They were all you…every single one of them."

Her beautiful eyes filled with tears. She replied so low even I could barely hear her, "That's sick."

"I know…but it's true."

Suddenly, I was angry. I let go of her shoulders and walked away before turning on her.

"How do you think I feel…knowing that I can't sleep with anyone without picturing you in my mind first? Do you have any idea what it's like for me, knowing that somewhere miles away, you're with Ian when I know you should be with me? You don't have any fucking idea of the hell I've been through. I feel like I've betrayed you every time I've had sex with someone else, and what's so fucking incredible is you don't even know it. Even now I'm telling you this, and you don't have any idea how hopelessly in love I am with you. Or how it literally kills a piece inside me every time I've taken someone else in my arms, because all I've ever wanted…all I've ever craved…is you. Yes, I've slept around and it's been fucking killing me. Sleeping around has become my own personal hell, but I'd rather live in hell than have a life without you. Now tell me how fucking sick that is!"

I yelled the last words at her. She looked at me stunned.

"I don't understand…how can you feel this way about me? We hardly see each other."

"I've loved you since I was 13, but I thought it was just a stupid teenage crush. Then I took one look at you at Jacob's wedding and that was all it took. I knew there was no one else for me in this world but you. I've had to resort to following you around like some freaking lapdog whenever you're home, just so I can get my fix of you until the next time you come back to me. You wanted to know why I'm so concerned about your life. That's why…because you're everything to me and it kills me that I can't be with you. "

She walked towards me and placed a trembling hand on my face.

"I had no idea…I don't want you to hurt because of me," Rebecca said with a tremor in her voice.

"Being separated from you hurts…you have no idea." I reached out to cup her neck. A sense of peace washed over me as I caressed her skin.

I stared into her eyes. "I need you Rebecca…I need you so much."

"Embry…it's…it's just not possible for us to be together…" Rebecca whispered sadly.

Instead of answering, I pulled her to me and captured her lips in mine. She hesitated for a minute, her mouth unresponsive, before she wrapped her arms slowly around my neck. As I felt her lips mold to mine, my mind and body burst with pleasure.

I parted her mouth with my own, our tongues instantly seeking each others. I couldn't get enough of the taste of her. Rebecca in turn, pulled back slightly to nibble on my lip, before sucking on it lightly. I groaned hungrily, but forced myself to let go of her mouth, only to run light kisses down her jaw before moving to her neck to lightly kiss the sensitive area there. I darted my tongue out and tasted the scented texture of her skin.

"Embry," Rebecca moaned, her nails digging into my scalp. I pulled back and lifted her up against me. Rebecca wrapped her legs around my waist. Our lips barely broke contact as I carried her up the hill to my place.

I entered the house and walked over to my bed. I broke away and carefully laid Rebecca across the mattress. I looked down at her. Her lips were swollen from my kisses, and I could see the hardened peaks of her breasts through her shirt. She was staring at me with a mixture of longing and desire. I ached just looking at her. I bent down between her parted knees and lay on top of her, my elbows supporting me so I didn't crush her. I reached up and took a strand of her hair between my fingers, lightly grasping the silkiness of it in my hand. I looked back down at my imprint.

"You are so beautiful," I whispered.

Rebecca reached up and ran her thumb from my eyebrow to my temple before moving her hand down to the side of my cheek. She stayed there for a moment, just watching my expression as I responded to her soft touch. Her hand moved to clasp the back of my neck. With the slightest pressure, she pulled me to her and our lips met again in sweet reunion.

I caressed her mouth with mine, learning the exact feel of it. I heard her moan impatiently as I brushed light kisses on her lips and to the corner of her mouth. She finally wrapped her arms around the back of my head and forced a more permanent lock of our lips. Her tongue licked the line of my mouth. I opened it and relished the feel of her tongue mating with mine.

I moved my hand slowly down her neck to her breast. My fingers cupped the top of her womanly curve, cherishing the softness I felt there. I could feel her hardened peak pressing against my hand. I ran my thumb over it and heard her breath increase. I took the protruding point and rolled it gently with my finger and thumb. Rebecca groaned in response. I broke away from her mouth and soon replaced my hand with my lips. I sucked hard through the cloth of her shirt causing Rebecca's back to lift off the bed slightly.

I leaned back so that I was resting on my knees, bringing her up so that she was in a sitting position. I reached down and took the hem of her shirt and lifted it off her before doing the same thing to my shirt. Rebecca's eyes were smoldering with desire as I reached around her and unhooked her bra. The straps dropped teasingly down her shoulders before the material fell from her body. I threw it across the room.

Rebecca lay back down. I followed her and began to worship her naked breasts fully. While my hand played with one breast, my mouth teased her other one, kissing the sides of her glorious mound before licking the peak at the very center. Rebecca's hands ran up my arms until they reached my head. She held me firmly to her as I began to suckle her in earnest. Rebecca's moans of ecstasy made my arousal twitch and become harder than I ever had been before. Her legs wrapped tightly around my waist, her foot resting against my ass, using it to press me even more firmly against her. I had no intention of rushing this though. I had waited six years for this moment.

I broke away from her and reached for the button of her jeans. I released it and drew the pants off her shapely legs. I ran my hands along the outside of her ankles, moving slowly up her legs until I reached the hem of her panties. I slid one hand to her inner thigh and let it slip under the silky material hiding her from my view. I heard Rebecca's voice catch as I found her bud of desire. I teased it until she was clutching at the pillow above her head.

I moved my fingers to the very center of her. Her wet heat taunted me. I placed a finger at her entrance slightly and stopped. She bucked down on my hand in an attempt to have me enter her more fully. I removed my hand and heard Rebecca's soft cry of protest. I quickly removed her panties and returned to the area of her wanting. I ran my fingers up and down the sensitive folds guarding her entrance. Rebecca's head began to thrash back and forth, her eyes closed tightly. I entered her, first with one finger and then another. I began to push up and down in a slow, erotic rhythm. Rebecca's body met each thrust of my fingers with one of its own. I could tell she was beginning to reach the point of no return, so I slowly removed my hand. Rebecca opened her eyes and glared at me angrily.

"Prick," she told me and I chuckled in response.

I grabbed the pillow from above her head and placed it under her hips. Her legs fell apart automatically. I returned to the core of her femininity, only this time with my mouth. With her legs braced over my shoulders, I leaned in towards the very heart of her. I teased her womanly bud with my lips, before parting her swollen folds with my fingers. I moved my tongue to her heavenly gate and tasted the sweet nectar of her body. We both groaned as my tongue entered her. Rebecca reached down and held my head roughly to her body. I continued to pleasure her this way until I felt her begin to reach her peak again. This time I let her. I was bathed in her essence as her passion crested. Her body continued to shake with rhythmic convulsions as I pulled away, kissing first one thigh then the other before getting off of her to remove my pants.

I returned quickly so that I was above her. She pulled me to her, our lips crashing together sensually. She reached down and took my shaft in her hands, her eyes widening as her fingers ran along the entire length of me. I could barely hold onto my control at the feel of her touch. I reached up and cupped her one cheek in my hand, moving my other hand so that it could entwine with hers. With her one hand still clasping my arousal, Rebecca guided me to her welcoming warmth.

We didn't look away from each other as I slowly slid into her, pausing as my tip became enveloped by her. Both of our breathing became shallow as I continued on, not stopping until I reached her hilt. Rebecca let go of my hand to move both of hers to my back where they clutched me desperately, her legs wrapping even tighter around me.

As I began to move, Rebecca's eyes fluttered shut. I pulled out almost entirely before slowly pushing back in. I began to kiss along her jaw, and then down to her neck as I began to increase the pace. Our bodies matched one another's perfectly. I tugged on her ear and pressed myself as close to her as I could possibly get. I kept our pace slow at first, enjoying the silky sensation of her around me. Our pacing picked up and soon became frantic as a small scream escaped Rebecca's swollen lips. I felt her insides clench around me as she reached her pinnacle. I thrust a couple more times before I joined her, her shuddering contractions milking me as I exploded inside of her. I poured into her all the bitterness and emptiness my life had become, and a joy I had never known settled over me.

Once I began to come back to earth, I leaned my forehead tiredly against the mattress next to her ear and tried to catch my breath. Rebecca's legs and arms were still wrapped around me. I could feel her heart racing against my chest.

I turned my head so that I could whisper, "I love you" in her ear, before licking the delicate skin that greeted me there.

"Embry," Rebecca murmured, moving her head so that she could lick the salty skin of my neck.

I pulled out of her gently and rolled on my back, bringing her with me so that she could lie against my chest. She wrapped an arm and a leg around me, before drifting off to sleep. I kissed her head, before I let sleep slowly consume me. The last thought I had was that Rebecca and I were finally together as we were always meant to be.

And nothing was going to get in our way.

_A/N – Credit for the chapter title goes to U2. I think I can guess what some of you are going to say about this chapter, but lay it on me anyway. **Please review!**_


	13. Cause and Effect

_PLEASE READ - I want to just remind everyone that, as stated in the first chapter of this story, Forbidden Imprint is rated M for adult themes__ and __strong language. __If you are underage, you shouldn't be reading this story._

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**Chapter 13 – Cause and Effect **

Embry's POV

I slowly woke up from the sensual slumber I was in. I had never felt so contented in all my life. I had just made love to my imprint, and it was the single greatest experience of my life.

I wondered briefly how long I had slept. I hadn't been sleeping well since Rebecca came back to town. Between worrying over her depressed behavior and being stressed because I had wanted to confess everything to her, I had been too restless to sleep much lately.

The truth was out now…well, almost. I still had to tell her about the pack and being my imprint. But I had told her I loved her, and she had kissed me and let me love her in the most physical way. I rolled over to embrace her, ready to confess everything, but I found the bed space next to me empty. Jerking up, I looked around.

"Becks?" I called out.

Silence greeted me. I noticed the darkening sky outside. Holy shit! How long had I been sleeping? It was late morning when I met her on the beach.

"Rebecca," I said again.

Looking around and tuning into all my senses, I realized she wasn't there. Frowning, I got out of my bed slowly. I realized that there was something wrong with my pull to her. It felt weak. Panicking, I tried to reason with myself. She probably just went back to Billy's or Rachel's.

I pulled on the shorts I had on worn earlier. I was going to go over and talk to her. I still needed to tell her about imprinting. As I reached for my shirt, I saw a paper propped up on the kitchen counter. With a feeling of dread, I reached over and grabbed it.

_Embry,_

_I know it's really cowardly of me to leave a letter like this, but I couldn't face you after what just happened. I'm going back to Hawaii. I hope you can understand when I say I need to focus more than ever on my marriage right now. I'm so sorry that I got you caught up in my mess. That wasn't fair to you. You said you love me, but you don't know the real me anymore. I know you'll find someone better to love. Someone who's free and she'll love you as much as you deserve. Please be happy, Em._

_Rebecca_

I threw the letter back on the counter and ran out the door. Sniffing the air, I picked up her faint scent and headed to Rachel's house. I ran to the door faster than humanly possibly and knocked on it. Rachel answered it with a frown that quickly turned to surprise.

"Hey Embry…what's up?"

"Where is she?"

"She and Paul are on their way to the airport right now," Rachel explained. "She did tell you goodbye right? That's what she told me."

I didn't say anything. Instead, I headed into the woods, quickly phased, and ran as fast as I could to Seattle. It was normally a five hour drive. Running would take me a little over an hour. I reached the city border and phased back, untying my shorts and t-shirt from my leg. I ran the rest of the way to the airport. I was about to enter the terminal, barefoot, when I heard someone call my name. Turning, I saw Paul headed towards me.

"What are you doing here?" Paul wondered.

"Where's Becks?" I asked frantically.

Just then a plane roared overhead, and I knew with all my heart that Rebecca was on it. My shoulders slumped and Paul had to wrap an arm around my shoulder to keep me from falling over.

"I'm sorry man," Paul said sadly. Looking at my attire, he asked, "How'd you get here?"

"Ran," I mumbled.

"C'mon, I'll drive you back," Paul replied and dragged me to his car.

Rebecca's scent lingered all over it. I rested my head wearily against the window. Paul didn't say much as I quietly mourned the fact that my wonderful moment in bed with my imprint was really nothing but a dirty, one night stand. Hell, it wasn't even a full night, just a short time in the sheets in the middle of the day. As we finally reached Forks though, my mindset started to change.

What Rebecca and I had experienced together was too precious and perfect for her to forget. I didn't think she would be able to just fall back in line and continue with her marriage. Not after she had a glimpse of what we could have together. I knew it was only a matter of time before she came back to me.

That attitude kept me going for the next two months. I felt calm and somewhat happy even, because I knew that whether Rebecca came back to me in a few days or a few years, she would eventually be mine. I could live with waiting for her in the meantime.

I was so confident of Rebecca's eventual return that I was totally unprepared for what was to come. While I was getting ready for work one morning, I felt a shift in my pull to Rebecca. It was like nothing I had ever experienced, even after she had caught me with that woman on my graduation night. I dropped what I was doing and hopped in my car to race over to Rachel's. She answered the door after my first knock almost as if she were expecting me.

"Embry," Rachel greeted me, not quite meeting my eyes.

"Is Rebecca okay?" I asked, not even trying to be polite.

"Do you want to come inside?" Rachel asked stepping back to allow me entrance.

"Rach…what's wrong with Becks?" I asked, not entering the house as I began to shake.

"Nothing."

"Have you heard from her lately?" I asked, not to be deterred.

Sighing, Rachel said, "She just called actually."

I stared pointedly at her. Rachel shook her head sadly.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but Embry…Rebecca and her husband are expecting a baby."

"What?" I questioned in a shocked tone.

"That's why she called."

Trying to control my trembling, I asked, "How far along is she?"

"She's just over a month," Rachel answered my question.

Just over a month and it had been almost two months since we had been intimate. If the doctor was off…hell, I didn't need a doctor to confirm what I already knew. This baby was mine. There wasn't a doubt in my mind. I hadn't worn a condom when we slept together. I hadn't even thought about it. Being so close to my imprint, logical thought hadn't entered the process. Ironic, considering what a fanatic I usually was about that shit.

"Embry, are you okay?" Rachel wondered tentatively.

"Do you have a number I can call her at? You know…to wish her congratulations?" I asked, trying to pull off a calm façade.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Rachel replied, looking down at my trembling hands.

"You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt Becks," I responded. Rachel stared at me for a second before shaking her head and turning to grab her cell phone.

"Don't make me regret this, Em," Rachel said before giving me Rebecca's cell phone number from her speed dial list.

"Thanks." I turned and headed back to my house.

I went back to my bed and sat on it with my cell phone in my hand. I turned and briefly lay down on the sheets covering my bed. I hadn't changed them since that day. Some people might think that was gross, but I couldn't bear to wash Rebecca's scent out. Taking a deep breath, I could still smell her sweet lavender/vanilla mix. Sitting back up, I dialed the number Rachel had given me and waited with my leg bouncing nervously for Rebecca to pick up.

"Hello," her beautiful voice sang in my ear and I froze, completely unable to speak.

"Hello," she said again.

"B-Becks," I stuttered out.

"Embry." Her voice came out in a sigh.

"Is your baby mine?" I blurted out and cursed myself.

"No, its Ian's…look I don't want you calling this number again," she stated before disconnecting the call.

I stared at my phone for a moment before chucking it against the wall so hard it damaged the drywall. Fury stronger than anything I had ever experienced erupted throughout my system, sending dangerous heat down my spine and throughout my body. I didn't even make it outside in time before I phased.

I took my rage out on the inside of my house. I ripped the bed to shreds, destroyed every piece of furniture I owned, broke every dish and glass I had, and when I was through with that, I destroyed the plumbing and ripped holes in the walls.

When I was through, I laid down wearily on the floor and after some time phased slowly back to my human form. The damage I had done to the house had made it virtually unlivable. What made it worse was that when I tore the bed apart, Rebecca's scent from the sheets was dispersed and now it seemed to linger in the air, torturing me.

I finally gave in and cried. I hadn't cried in years, not since I was a kid. Maybe I'd tear up every once in a while, but I never fully balled my eyes out. I did that now, because as soon as I'd heard Rebecca tell me the kid wasn't mine, I realized two things.

First…Rebecca was never going to leave Ian. The knowledge settled over me like a deadweight. No matter how much I loved her, no matter how close we were whenever she was here, she was never going to leave her husband. If she had any feelings for me, even remotely, wouldn't she have called me and told me her news? She said the kid wasn't mine. She should've known that I would have heard about her pregnancy eventually and wondered who the father was. But she didn't give a damn enough about my feelings. Instead, I had to call her.

Secondly…I was going to leave La Push. I had never had any desire to leave my home before and now I needed to leave…it was vital to my sanity. I loved my friends. They were truly my only family. I hadn't seen my mom in months. She had remarried years ago and was living in Seattle. We had a distant relationship at best. I knew I couldn't continue to live here, running into Rachel. Seeing her was a constant, bitter reminder of my imprint, the woman who would always and forever be forbidden to me. It wasn't just Rachel, it was everything. It was this house, my Jeep, the beach…everywhere I looked Rebecca haunted me. As far as I was concerned, there was no point in staying here anymore. I had hung around this long only on the off chance that I might see Rebecca whenever she came back to town. I seriously didn't think Rebecca would ever come back now after what happened between us. It was time for me to move on.

That settled I picked myself off the floor, found what clothes I hadn't destroyed in my rampage, and packed everything salvageable in a bag. It was sad how little I actually had to fill my duffel bag. Once I was dressed, I picked up my remaining belongings and headed out the front door.

A voice inside my head reminded me that I might be overreacting. I calmed down long enough to realize I was in shock. I decided before I did anything too rash and final about my life in La Push, I would have three stops to make, and they would decide my future.

I went to Sam's house first. I knocked on the door and let myself in. Emily and Sam had an open door policy. Anyone was welcome in their home anytime. As I entered the house, I passed Sam's son Nate. He said a quick "hi" and walked out the front entrance with music blaring from the headphones he was listening to.

Even in my numbness, I was momentarily surprised by how big Nate was. He was going to be 11 in a few months and looked closer to 15. If that kid didn't turn into a wolf someday, I'd be more than a little surprised. I heard Sam yelling and headed in that direction.

"But Ryan's going to be there," Gracie screamed out.

"I don't care if he's going to be there or not, I'm not letting my nine-year-old daughter go to what is essentially a kegger."

"Daddy, it's a bonfire and Ryan doesn't mind me going, do you Ryan?"

I walked into the living room to see Sam and his daughter facing each other like duelists. Both were in the middle of the room, standing in similar poses with their arms folded across their chests. In between them, looking as though he wished he were anywhere but there was Ryan. He didn't say anything in response to Gracie's question. It was a smart move. Between having to choose between his imprint and his Alpha, the best thing for him to do was keep quiet. Gracie, however, looked shocked.

"You don't want me to go?" She asked, as tears filled her eyes.

"Oh Gracie, of course I do--"

"See Daddy, he wants me to go, you're just being mean," Gracie spun on her father, her tears disappearing in an instant. I had to give it to the kid. She was good.

"I don't care Gracie, you're not going and that's final. And don't pester Ryan about it while we're all in Seattle this weekend either."

Gracie immediately turned to wrap her arms around Ryan who looked like he was going to double over in pain. He was two seconds away from giving into whatever Gracie wanted.

Sam seeing this said, "And don't think Ryan's going to fall for your theatrics either. He's not taking you."

"You're a horrible father!" Gracie yelled before she stormed down the hall and out the front door. Ryan started to follow his imprint.

"Ryan…" Sam interceded. "I mean it. She's not going no matter how hard she pushes you."

Ryan sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I know."

He walked down the hall and through the front door. He looked like he was about to face a firing squad. Sam ran his hand wearily through his hair, before glancing over at me.

"And she's not even a teenager yet," Sam joked. "God help us when she hits her teen years."

When I just stood there, Sam looked at me closely.

"You look like hell. What's going on?"

"My imprint and her husband are expecting a baby."

Sam sucked in a breath. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm leaving La Push. I have nothing but memories of her here. I want to start over somewhere fresh."

Sam nodded. He didn't even try to talk me out of leaving and my respect for Sam went up 10 notches.

"You know where you're headed?" He asked.

"I think out East." I told him. I had once joked with Jacob about moving out that way with him and the Cullens. The idea of getting as far away from the Olympic Peninsula as possible held great appeal.

Sam came over and shook my hand.

"You need anything…anything at all…you call me, okay?" Sam said.

"I will," I assured him. "Thanks Sam."

"Good luck Embry," he replied, giving me a quick hug before releasing me. I nodded and walked out the front of house. One task done…two more to go.

As I walked to my car, I noticed Ryan and Gracie sitting on the front lawn. He had his legs folded Indian style in front of him. Gracie was sitting on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I just want to be with you," Gracie cried against his chest.

"I know," Ryan said kissing her head.

"What if you find a friend at the bonfire you like better than me," Gracie wailed, real tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Grace, that'll never happen. You're the most important person in my life. Nothing will ever change that."

"Promise?" Gracie asked.

"I promise," Ryan returned. Gracie smiled before leaning in to kiss Ryan's cheek.

'Thank you, Ryan. I love you."

"I love you too, squirt."

"Ryan, can we go rollerblading?" Gracie suddenly asked.

I reached my car and got in it before I heard his response. At least Ryan and Gracie had worked out their problems. What I wouldn't give to have an imprint with such simple problems. I doubted the offer of rollerblading would have won Rebecca away from Ian.

My stomach filled with dread as I thought about my next stop. I drove until I reached the garage. I found Quil inside, looking at an order sheet. He looked horrible. He was going up to Makah today to go fishing with Claire's father, grandfather, and brother. I hoped for his sake that Claire would be there, I really did. She still wasn't talking to him if she could help it after he had rejected her kiss so many months ago. Sighing, I walked up to Quil, knowing I couldn't put it off any longer.

"I'm leaving." I stated.

Quil glanced up from the order sheet he was looking at.

"What?" He asked in confusion. I saw him frown as he examined my face closer.

"I'm leaving," I said again.

"What happened?" Quil asked.

Not…why would you want to do that? Not…you can't leave, you have responsibilities here. His response was pure Quil; only worried about me.

I felt violently sick but forced myself to say, "Rachel just told me that Rebecca and her husband are expecting their first baby."

"What are you going to do, Embry?" Quil questioned, putting his hand on my shoulder.

Trying very hard not to show the emotion I was struggling to keep in check I said, "I'm going to leave La Push for awhile. I just can't take it anymore. Every time I see Paul and Rachel…Rachel reminds of Rebecca. I can't handle it. I thought when she was here last…I thought there was hope…and I…I just can't be here anymore."

For a horrified moment I thought I was going to cry again. I turned my head slightly as I felt my eyes sting with tears.

"How long will you be gone?" Quil asked with so much understanding I felt a large lump form in my throat.

Swallowing I told him, "Not sure. A few weeks…years, maybe. I just can't live my life this way anymore. I keep hoping that every time she comes back things will be different. There's no reason to hope anymore. She's got her life and I've got to get mine."

Quil nodded, "I'll take care of the garage, maybe see if Seth wants to join our partnership. Will you at least let me know when you get settled somewhere?"

"Yeah," I replied. Quil reached over and gave me a quick hug.

He was my best friend…my brother. We had built this business together and I was abandoning him and in return he hugged me. I felt like such a dick for what I was doing, but I needed to leave. I saw Azra working on a car. As I turned to leave, he nodded at me sympathetically and I nodded in response. I was going to miss Az too. He wasn't just my pack brother. We had formed a deep friendship over the years we spent working together over some engine.

With my conversations with Sam and Quil out of the way, I headed towards my next stop. I did the five hour drive to Seattle calmly, though I did tense up a few times as I thought about everything that had happened to me since I imprinted.

What was the whole fucking point of it all? That's what I couldn't wrap my mind around. I wasn't the type of guy to typically sit around and wallow in self-pity. I was the kind of guy who went out and got a college degree instead of wasting energy pining over someone I couldn't have. But there had to be a reason I had suffered so much misery.

Why couldn't I have love just once? Was there something inside me that made it impossible to ever have love? Is that why I had never felt truly complete? The fatherless bastard child that people on the Rez had to put up with? I knew my mom loved me on some level, but being a parent had never been her goal in life. Quil and Jake loved me like I was part of their family, but it wasn't the same thing. I wasn't blood related. Hell, even Quil and Jake were second cousins. And my imprint had repeatedly chosen the man she had married so long ago over me.

So, if I wasn't meant to have the great love of my life, what was the point of suffering like I had for the past six years? Was there something more important I was supposed to do with my life? Was there a greater plan for me? Something that was just on the horizon…destiny waiting for me to finally grasp it in my hands? Now that I was free of my responsibilities to the pack and the garage, what else was waiting for me out there?

I reached my destination in Seattle and parked my car. The car would eventually get towed. So be it.

There was just one more thing I needed to do before I began the rest of my life. Out of the three stops I made, this was the most important. This stop would decide my future. I walked into the terminal and bought a ticket. I walked to my gate and took a seat as I waited patiently for my flight to be called.

_Now boarding…United Airways, Flight 80, to Honolulu, Hawaii. _

I got up from my seat and made my way to the plane.

_A/N – Just a random fyi…for those of you who read Early Imprint and are wondering where we are in the timeline of that story, this is the day Claire runs away from home when she was 15. __**Please Review!**_


	14. Both Sides Now

**Important Announcements**

**1) Do you want to become Seth Clearwater's Imprint?**

A bunch of authors are getting together to raise money for the "Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation." The charity helps children who are suffering from cancer. I have decided to offer "Seth." If you want to become Seth's imprint in my stories, you can now bid on him. I'll also write a one-shot of the two of you. For details on where to bid, please see my profile page.

**2) Forum**

I had someone ask me to start a forum a couple of months ago. I didn't really know what to do with it at the time, so I passed on the idea. I started one this week because I wanted a place to put all my tidbits and story extras. Please check it out. If you go to my profile page, you'll see something that says, "My Forums" near the top of the page. Click on that and you'll be redirected. I also have a poll up right now. Tell me who's your favorite of my original characters (ex: Gracie, Ryan), and I'll give you some background information on whichever character wins.

**3) Award**

Early Imprint (Quil's Story) was nominated for a "Silent Tear" award for the "Best Imprint" story. Thanks to whoever nominated it! You can go to the following link to vote (also available on my profile page). Thank you in advance to everyone who takes a moment vote.

http://silent-tear-awards(dot)webs(dot)com/vote(dot)htm

**_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 14 – Both Sides Now**

Embry's POV

The plane ride to Hawaii passed by without me even noticing. When we finally landed, I pulled myself from the heavy thoughts permeating my mind so that I could force myself to concentrate on leaving the plane. I wanted to leap over the people congesting the aisle way, but I forced myself to be patient as I waited for my turn to exit the aircraft. As soon as I was able to step outside, the heat hit me swift and fierce. Living in Hawaii would never be an option for me. It was too hot for me to enjoy. I felt as though my skin was sweltering.

I made my way to the rent-a-car place and got directions to Waikiki. It didn't take long for me to reach my destination. The pale sands and ocean views flew by me with barely a glance. Once I reached the actual city, I followed the pull to my imprint though it was very weak…I hardly felt it. The weather seemed to match my mood. The closer I got to Rebecca, the wetter the weather got until it finally started to rain.

I reached a residential street and parked my car. In the distance, I saw Ian head to a car with a surfboard attached to the roof. He hopped in the vehicle and took off in the opposite direction from where I was. I rested my head against the steering wheel for a moment as I tried to control my raging emotions. I felt slightly crazed at the moment and I was beginning to scare myself.

One part of me wanted to follow Ian and rip his head off. My hands actually trembled and the wolf inside me purred with contentment at the idea. I didn't even know it was possible for a wolf to purr. The other part of me wanted to bust down Rebecca's front door, throw Rebecca over my shoulder, and run back to the airport. I wanted nothing more than for us to disappear where no one would ever find us again. I wasn't above kidnapping her at this point. I was almost eager to.

But the most logical part of me knew that I wouldn't do any of those things. I was here for one purpose and one purpose only. I needed to talk to Rebecca. From that conversation, I would figure out what I was going to do next. Maybe I'd return to La Push. Then again, if I could convince Rebecca to run away with me, we'd need to disappear until she could get her divorce. Maybe we'd head out East together. She'd be close to Jake that way.

I got out of the car and walked over to the house running my hands nervously down my pants. I knocked a couple of times on the front door before I heard movement inside the house. The door slowly opened and there was my Rebecca.

"Embry…" Rebecca said in a shocked tone. She looked over my shoulder, obviously looking for Ian. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," I stated.

"About?"

"The baby for one thing."

"What about my baby?" Rebecca asked, her hand automatically covering her stomach area. The baby wasn't visible yet, but Rebecca was already in protective mother mode.

"I thought Ian didn't want kids." I said absently, not taking my eyes off her hand.

"How did you know about that?" Rebecca asked with what sounded like betrayal in her voice.

"I overheard you that day on the beach."

I could sense Rebecca's anger as she realized I had eavesdropped on a very personal conversation.

"We had a long talk after I got back and w-we decided to work on our problems. We started marriage counseling. The baby was a surprise, but one we both welcome."

I let the baby comment slide for now.

"Why bother saving this marriage when you know in your heart you should be with me?" I asked bluntly, raising my eyes from her hand to her face.

Rebecca lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Embry, I'm so sorry if I've mislead you…"

I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me.

"Becks, I know how you're feeling right now. Guilt's a bitch, but it shouldn't be the reason you to stay with Ian."

"You know nothing about my marriage and you have no clue how I feel right now," Rebecca said furiously, yanking her chin out of my light grasp.

"I know you wouldn't have reacted to me the way you did if you loved Ian. No one can fake an orgasm like that."

I was acting abominably towards her. I couldn't help it. Sheer panic was causing me to want to lash out. Either that or re-consider my plan to kidnap her. She took a step back and put her hand on the door handle. For a moment I thought she was going to slam the door in my face. Either that or deck me, which would only cause her to injure herself. I didn't know if she would ever forgive me for what I just said. Taking a deep breath, I chose a different tactic before she could do anything.

"I'm sorry…that was way out of line," I told her remorsefully.

"Look," Rebecca replied. "I'm sorry you wasted your money on a plane ticket out here, but I've got nothing more to say to you."

She began to shut the door on me. I grabbed the edge before it could shut and gently pushed it back.

"You and I are going to talk," I told her again. "And I'm not leaving here until we do."

Rebecca's eyes flew nervously over my shoulder again. Her mouth firmed.

"Fine…but not here," Rebecca replied, coming out of the house and shutting the door behind her. "The beach isn't far away."

I knew she was angry with me, livid in fact. But I couldn't take my eyes off her. I wanted to desperately pull her to me and never let go.

"You look beautiful," I said as we walked and I meant it.

Pregnancy, even in the early stages, made her skin glow. She didn't say anything in response. She kept her eyes on the ground as we made our way to the beach.

There were a lot of different emotions running over her features. They were easy for me to pick up. I saw things I never wanted to see on Rebecca's face. There was shame and there was guilt. Suddenly, I thought of Jacob's warning to me years ago when we got into a fight over Rebecca.

"_I know my sister. She'll never forgive herself if she cheats on Ian. And she'll end up hating you if you're not careful."_

And something else he said was nagging me.

"_If she feels anything for you, she won't understand why because of Ian. All you're going to achieve is making her feel guilty. She's vulnerable right now and you're taking advantage of it."_

Is that what I had done…taken advantage of Rebecca when she was vulnerable? Had I turned her against me completely? She was the single most important person in my world. I didn't think I'd be able to live with myself if I had somehow taken advantage of her emotional state.

"Becks…" I reached out to touch her arm gently once we reached the sand. She shrugged my arm off and took a few steps away from me.

"Is my touch so repulsive?" I asked, angry again.

"More inappropriate than anything," Rebecca responded.

"I wish I would have picked up on the fact you find my touch so disgusting in the letter you left me. Maybe I wouldn't have bothered to come here."

Rebecca's cheeks turned red.

"I'm sorry…you deserved better than that letter. But I thought it would be easier if I wasn't there when you got up."

"Easier on you, you mean," I retorted.

"Fine," Rebecca said angrily. "I didn't want _this_ conversation. It's pointless. I know you were hoping for us to have some kind of relationship, but we're just not meant to be together. You belong with all those women you like to sleep with, and I belong with Ian."

"Becks…you have it all wrong still. We are meant to be together. I'm sorry if I ever gave you a reason to doubt that, because I don't want any other woman. I've only ever wanted you. What else can I do to prove that to you?"

Rebecca shook her head and walked a few steps further away from me so that she could stare out at the ocean. I stared at her profile before finally asking her the main reason I was here.

"How do you know the baby's not mine?"

"It's not," Rebecca replied.

Frustrated, I went over to her and stood in front of her.

"It has to be mine…I mean it's not like you slept with Ian right after you left me."

Rebecca looked guiltily to the ground.

"You slept with him?" I whispered.

"That's none of your business Embry."

"The hell it isn't!" I shouted.

"He's my husband. I'm supposed to sleep with him…no one else."

"That doesn't discount the fact that this baby could be mine," I said, pushing away the anger and betrayal I felt.

"The baby isn't yours," Rebecca insisted again.

Frustrated and feeling more terrified than I had ever felt in my life, I grabbed Rebecca by the shoulders.

"Tell me this baby is mine," I pleaded.

"I can't," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"There's no way you could know that for sure." I practically pleaded with her to tell me otherwise.

Meeting my eyes, Rebecca said simply, "I had my period after I got back from La Push. I slept with Ian after that and I haven't had my period since. Embry…I'm sorry, but this baby isn't yours."

I let go of her then and took a step back. Because I finally believed her. I saw it in the absolute sincerity in her eyes. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise, this baby wasn't mine. I would know if she was lying to me, just like she always knew when I wasn't telling her the full truth. My already tattered heart shred into a thousand pieces. And yet, I still couldn't let go. I couldn't let _her_ go.

"Rebecca, I love you…I don't care if the baby is mine or Ian's. You don't love him. You love me…I know you do. Come away with me. I need you Becks…I know you don't believe me when I say this but trust me, we _are_ meant to be together."

Rebecca immediately shook her head stubbornly, dismissing what I was telling her. I still couldn't give up.

"Please…" I begged. "Please leave Ian. I'll take care of you and the baby."

"You'd really take care of another man's child," Rebecca whispered achingly.

"I would love any baby that was a part of you," I replied simply. "Please Rebecca…please come away with me."

My body shook in pain even before she gave me the answer I already knew to expect.

"I can't…I won't. Embry, he's the father of my child. I can't do that to him or my baby."

"You love me! How can you do that to _me_?" I questioned her, the volume of my voice increasing as I became more distraught.

Rebecca looked me straight in the eye and said, "I never said I loved you."

"Well, you sure as hell don't love him," I yelled back immediately.

I watched Rebecca's eyes narrow at my insistence. "Yes, I do Embry. I've loved him since the first moment I laid eyes on him. I'll always love him."

"Then what the fuck was I?" I shouted. How could she deny everything we meant to each other?

"We were a horrible mistake, plain and simple. What we did was wrong. I committed adultery and I'm going to have to live with that," Rebecca said in a raspy tone. It sounded like she was going to cry, and even after everything she said, I still ached to hold her in my arms.

Rebecca continued, "I'm so sorry for bringing you into my marital problems. I should have kept my distance from you. And now I have to live with what I did, not only to my husband, but what I did to you too. I-I'm so sorry if I've hurt you, but what happened between us shouldn't have happened."

"You don't mean that…" I said desperately. The sheer pain I was in was crippling me and it only seemed to be getting worse.

"I do mean it…" Rebecca said coldly. "You and I were only ever meant to be friends. Nothing more. What we did was wrong. We should never have done it and I have regretted all of it ever since…from our first kiss to our last encounter."

How could she be saying this to me? Didn't she feel it…couldn't she see that she was my soul mate...the whole reason I even existed?

"So where does that leave us?" I whispered painfully over the lump in my throat.

"We'll be friends," Rebecca answered, looking away from me and out to the ocean again. "Like we used to be when we were kids."

"Friends…" I laughed bitterly. "That's impossible."

Rebecca looked back at me. "If you can't handle that…then we're nothing. In fact…I think that would be best."

She turned to face the water again. All I could do is was observe her delicate profile.

"I don't want you to contact me anymore." Rebecca finally said. Her tone was so cold. It was nothing I had ever heard from Rebecca. She added, "Contrary to what you seem to have deluded yourself into believing, we aren't meant to be together. This baby proves it."

She turned her head and met my eyes. I was filled with instant dread.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully Embry, because I want you to fully understand. I want you to stay away from me. I don't want you to call me and I don't want you coming here to see me like this again. We're nothing to each other. Ian and my baby…that's what's important to me…they're all I need. I don't want you in my life."

I looked into her eyes and saw what I couldn't deny. She meant it. She wanted me out of her life. I had to do what my imprint wanted.

I nodded slowly, turned, and walked back the way I came. My legs felt wobbly underneath me, like a baby learning to walk for the first time. The pain was erupting inside me like a volcano, but I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other.

And then suddenly the pain ebbed away and was replaced with a coldness I had never felt before. I picked up my pace and felt a new strange lightness. I felt not pain but an eerie emptiness. I couldn't feel anything…I didn't even feel the sand under my feet. I realized what was happening to me.

We are whatever our imprints need us to be. All these years, I had felt attached to Rebecca because even on some subconscious level, she had needed me. That's why I always suffered so much when we weren't together.

But the imprint magic in my blood was granting Rebecca her wish. I could feel it. She didn't need me anymore. I was nothing to her…and she was now nothing to me. She had severed our bond. I was free.

I didn't look back as I continued on my path to my future. A future without Rebecca. The lightness ebbed away and what was left of me was nothing but a shell of what I once was.

I was what my imprint needed me to be…I was nothing.

* * *

_A/N - The title of this chapter is from Joni Mitchell's song, "Both Sides Now." Check out the lyrics…it's very fitting for this chapter. To answer a question I'm sure I'll get: _

_No, Embry won't be miserable forever. Things are about to get very interesting for our hero. But __this__ had to happen to him first._

_Also, before you hate Rebecca too much, I'm going to throw something in my forum in the next couple of days called "Understanding Rebecca." Keep an eye out for it._

_I don't usually post on Saturdays because for some reason feedback is always low. I'm really curious about your reaction on this one though so…please review!_


	15. A Special Invitation

**Part II**

_5 years later_

**Chapter 15 – A Special Invitation**

Embry's POV

I looked down at the invitation in my hand.

"_You're invited to the wedding of Quil Andrew Ateara III and Claire Elizabeth Young…"_

Wow, how old was Claire now? I was startled to realize that she was almost 20. I hadn't been back to see Quil, Claire, or anyone else in La Push in five years.

Five years…since the disaster in Hawaii.

_Time flies when you're having fun_.

I couldn't help but snort at how ironic that statement was. My mind began to drift to that day in Hawaii so many years ago, but I forced my mind on the task at hand. It was self-protection. For a long time I had felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. Just the slightest push would have sent me over. The only way I saved myself was by embracing the wonderful practice of avoidance. If my mind would start to dwell on the past, I would force myself to quickly occupy it with something else. Thankfully, I had found a healthy outlet to keep my mind busy.

I felt a jolt as I realized how much I had been thinking about _her_ lately. I hadn't thought of her in years. Now she seemed to be occupying too many of my thoughts recently. I wondered what was triggering the memories and again forced myself to think of something else.

I stared at the invitation in my hand and then looked at the post date on the envelope. Shit, I had been out of the country for the past eleven months and only recently got back to the States. When I looked at the date of the wedding, I was startled to realize that it was in a couple of days! I had only gotten my mail from the post office yesterday and just noticed the invitation this morning. The La Push address was what had caught my attention, and I grabbed the piece of mail as I'd headed out to work.

I felt bad for the distance I had created between myself and the gang in La Push. At first it had been easier for me to remain physically and emotionally distant…it was less painful for me to go through my rejection without the pack in my head. And then I became too busy to even give my former home a second thought. I still phased every once in awhile, but it was usually so brief that I didn't communicate with my brothers. I would occasionally get whispers of their thoughts though, but I had gotten so careful at guarding my own, I didn't think they were even aware of me being there half the time.

I still heard their thoughts long enough to catch up on all the pack news though. For example, I knew that Collin had imprinted on Claire's best friend Lindsey when she was 15. She was Claire's age and she and Collin had recently eloped. Last time I had phased when Quil was patrolling, I had sensed he was missing Claire like crazy. Apparently she had gotten some internship in California with the Disney Company. I guess she was back in town if she and Quil were about to get married.

I also knew that Sam had retired from the pack and his son, Nate, was now the Alpha leader and an extremely powerful one at that. I knew that Sam's daughter Gracie had witnessed Nate phase for the first time. Apparently she had been fighting with her brother when Nate lost it and phased. He had rushed outside and had seen Sam in his wolf form. Nate had almost attacked his father as Sam was still the Alpha at the time, and two Alphas can't be near each other without wanting to kill each other. Sam had phased back to his human form and had refused to change back to his wolf body. He hadn't wanted to intensify his son's hostile Alpha feelings. Ryan, who was also there at the time, was forced to phase in front of Gracie to save her father from being attacked by Nate. Gracie, upon seeing three of the people she was closest to burst into large, snarling wolves, had freaked out so much that she now refused to have anything to do with Ryan.

I knew all this because whenever I was unfortunate enough to phase at the same time Ryan was in wolf form, it was all he thought about. He thought of that day obsessively, re-living every moment of it in detail, trying to think of what he could have done differently so that Gracie would still be speaking to him. Whenever any of the other guys were patrolling with him, they were so busy assuring him he did everything right that they didn't generally pay attention to the fact that I was there.

If there was one major reason I avoided communication with the pack, it was because I didn't want them to ask questions about what had happened to me in Hawaii, and I certainly didn't want or need their pity. I didn't want them to ask me about the bond that I no longer felt. I couldn't explain what happened that day even to myself. And the less I thought about the whole situation the better off I was.

I slowly put the wedding invitation back in its envelope. My mind was still reeling about the fact that Claire was all grown up. Last time I saw her she was going through her emo phase of hating anything Quil related.

"Dr. Call…here are the test results you were waiting for."

I put the invitation in my lab coat and took the paperwork from the nurse's hand. "Thanks Mary."

"Oh…there's a Dr. Cullen waiting for you in the doctor's lounge."

I nodded and felt a smile break on my face at the news that Carlisle was here. Looking down at the paperwork in my hands, the smile quickly erased from my face as I felt myself frown. Dammit! I was going to have to get a consultation and I hated that. Granted I had just finished up my first year of residency, but I felt I should know this by now. The symptoms of my patient seemed so obvious. I felt like I was missing something. Sighing, I put the paperwork in the patient's file and made my way to the doctor's lounge.

I hadn't seen Carlisle or the Cullens in over two years. I had been too busy with medical school and then my first year of residency. If it weren't for Carlisle, I would never have become a doctor in the first place.

I thought back to the day when my fate had been decided. It had been right after my trip to Hawaii. I had decided not to return to La Push. The last thing I had wanted was to run into Paul's wife Rachel. The constant reminder of her twin would have been too much. And I had felt so shell-shocked, I knew I couldn't deal with pack life again either.

After I had left the beach, I went straight to the airport and took the first flight I could get out of Hawaii and ended up in Toronto, Canada. I stayed there for a couple of months, before I decided to return to the States to visit Jake in Vermont. I thought being close to him would help me feel again as he was related to the source of my pain. That had always helped before, hanging around her relatives. Ironically though, the trip hadn't given me the comfort I yearned for.

Jake looked a lot like Rachel and her sister. Being around him had made me feel restless. Maybe it was because my relationship with Jake had never quite healed after our fight regarding his sister. Still the Cullens had taken one look at my dazed expression and let me into their home. I stayed there for a few weeks. Ness and Bella had hovered over me, making sure I ate. Alice cooked me gourmet meals which were actually delicious.

The doc had made Alice take cooking lessons after she gave Jake food poisoning that was so severe, he ended up needing medical care. A wolf needing medical care finally broke Carlisle's calm demeanor. He banned Alice from cooking anything further until she was properly trained. She and Jasper had moved to France for a short period of time, so she could get properly trained by a master chef. And her training paid off. She turned out to be a brilliant cook. Thanks to the Cullens' warmth and acceptance, I was able to begin living again after the traumatic experience I'd had…well not living so much as learning to breathe again.

Ness became one of my closest confidants while I was in Vermont. One day while she held my hand in comfort, I'd confessed everything to her. She didn't say anything and she didn't judge. She just hugged me after I was through and I'd ended up cracking and crying like a damned baby. It was the last time I cried over the whole imprinting mess, but it somehow helped take away some of the nothingness I had been feeling.

I think Ness understood me. Jake was biased because of his sister, but Ness just got my pain because she was an imprint herself. I think the idea of her not being able to be with Jake scared her, so she was very sympathetic to my plight.

Still, for the first few weeks after the Hawaii trip, I debated what I was going to do with my life. It was like trying to figure out how to put the pieces of your life back together after an explosion. Everything inside of me had been in complete chaos, utterly destroyed beyond repair. I'd had doubts that I would ever be able to recover. It was Carlisle who finally helped me find my path back to life.

I remembered I had been sitting out on the patio with Jacob and Ness watching Emmett play hide and seek with Jake's twins, Meena and Gabe. It was actually one of the funniest things I had ever seen. Meena had a gift…she was a shield. Her shield was physical. She could make herself and anyone she touched invisible. No human, vampire, or shape-shifter could trace her when she used her power. Their version of hide and seek was more like Marco Polo. Emmett and the kids agreed on a certain perimeter and Emmett had to try to find the kids within the established boundaries.

"Your kids are cheating!" Emmett had screamed at Ness and Jake after a short time, kicking a tree so hard it snapped in half. Seeing a vampire throw the mother of all tantrums is seriously hilarious.

"We're not cheating," Meena had appeared suddenly, holding Gabe's hand, standing only a few feet from Emmett. The kids were technically almost six at the time, but physically closer to eleven.

Emmett had crouched down to get them and was in mid-lunge when he'd suddenly stopped moving and began to grab at something invisible in the air. He'd kept growling ferociously at whatever it was.

"Gabriel, quit making Emmett see grizzly bears," Jake had called out calmly as he laid on the porch's lounge chair, one hand behind his head, while the other had been wrapped around Ness as she'd laid next to him.

That was Gabe's gift. He was like Renesmee. He could put thoughts and images in people's heads, but unlike Ness, he could do it without touch. He could also read people. Not their minds like his grandpa Edward, but he could read their souls. While my depressed emotions had kept Jasper away, Gabe had gravitated towards me, always trying to put happy thoughts in my head until Ness had eventually told him to leave me alone and give me space. Watching Gabe mess with his Uncle Emmett had made me actually laugh out loud. Gabe had immediately listened to his father though and stopped making Emmett see bears.

"See," Emmett had screamed. "Your kids are such little shi--"

Ness was out of her chair and next to Emmett before I'd even had a chance to blink. She'd slammed her hand over his mouth.

"You finish that sentence and I'm going to tell Gabe to make you think you're a ballerina for the rest of your existence!"

"But they're cheating!" Emmett had whined against Nessie's hand.

"Uncle Emmett, you're over 80 years old. Grow up!" Ness had replied.

Jake and Ness had taken the kids for a hunting trip shortly after that and Emmett had gone to be consoled by Rosalie. Jake and Gabe really didn't need to hunt, but Ness and Meena preferred blood. I'd continued to sit quietly on the porch when Carlisle had walked out.

"So Embry…how are things going for you?"

"All right," I'd responded with a shrug.

"Are you sure there's no chance that Reb--"

"None." I hadn't even wanted to hear her name.

"Have you thought about going back to school?" Carlisle had asked. "You certainly have the book smarts to become a doctor and with your wolf senses, I think you'd really excel. You received your degree in biology. Just say the word and I can get you into any medical school you want."

And I had jumped at it. I hadn't even thought to hesitate or object. I threw myself into medical school and graduated at the top of my class. More importantly, I had found that I truly loved practicing medicine. I loved getting new cases and trying to work out problems. Nothing gave me greater satisfaction than helping cure a sick patient and getting to watch them leave the hospital completely healed.

"Carlisle," I greeted him now as soon as I walked into the doctor's lounge.

Carlisle got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked over to me to shake my hand. The coldness of his flesh caused my hand to tremble slightly. I wouldn't be where I was today if it wasn't for Carlisle's guidance and kindness. But he was still a vampire and I was still a shape-shifting wolf.

"How are you Embry?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm good…I just got back from Africa. I did my first year residency there. It was an incredible experience."

"Well that would explain why we weren't able to get a hold of you. I had to make a few calls to track you here," Carlisle remarked, smiling. "You must have seen some unique cases in Africa. Have you decided to continue in field work?"

"I'm leaning more towards emergency room care, but that's another four years of training. Still…I like the challenge it represents. Like field work, you never know what you're going to get in the ER."

"I'm proud of you," Carlisle said after a moment. "I always thought you'd make a fine doctor."

"Thank you," I replied. Hearing that from Carlisle filled me with incredible pride. I was so grateful to him. I would never be able to repay him for everything he did for me.

"So I take it you received the invitation to Quil and Claire's wedding?" Carlisle asked, bringing me back to the present.

"Yeah, I just received it."

Carlisle looked at me before saying. "You know…the hospital in Port Angeles accepts Resident doctors."

"I've got a life here now," I replied.

"Well, you'll do what's best Embry. But I know that Jacob misses his family and the pack. In fact, he and Nessie are thinking of moving the kids back there. Billy and Charlie Swan aren't getting any younger. Ness and Jake want the kids to spend as much time with them as they can."

"I just don't think I can…go back there, not permanently anyway."

"You've been running from your demons a long time now. Perhaps the answers you seek are in the one place you've tried to forget."

"I'm not searching for anything…" I responded in a confused tone.

"Aren't you?" Carlisle countered.

"Dr. Call? The family of the patient in room 314 would like a status update." Nurse Pickford walked into the room interrupting us. She was a battle axe of a woman, but a hell of a nurse.

"Thank you," I replied, looking down at the envelope that still had the paperwork of my patient tucked inside. I sighed in frustration.

"Anything, I can help you with?" Carlisle offered.

"Well…I have a patient who shows all the signs of chronic fatigue and flu. I ran a complete blood count, but it's not showing me the results I thought it would."

"Mind if I show you a trick?" Carlisle asked.

"Sure," I replied, already distracted by what I was going to tell the family.

"Follow me," Carlisle said before walking out the door and heading to the room of my patient. Luckily the family was still in the waiting room.

Carlisle picked up the wrist. Sniffing carefully, he said, "Ah…smell his wrist."

I walked over to the patient, who was thankfully knocked out, and picked up his other wrist. Feeling somewhat foolish, I did as I was instructed. Taking a deep whiff, I frowned. What was that smell? I could smell the medication we had him on in his system, but there was something else there.

"Hemochromatosis," Carlisle said.

"Too much iron in his blood," I responded. "The CBC didn't show that."

"You need to do two specific tests. Run a Serum Transferrin Saturation test and a Serum Ferritin test and it will confirm our diagnosis."

"Thanks Carlisle," I said, stepping away from the patient.

"Certainly," Carlisle said, holding out his hand. I took it and shook his hand, before he turned to leave.

"Oh," he said, turning back to face me. "I already put a tux in your work locker for the wedding. Alice saw that Claire was going to have an extra bridesmaid, but she couldn't see who the new groomsman was. She figured it had to be you as she can't see a wolf's future. I put the extra dress for the new bridesmaid in your locker too. Would you take it to Claire?"

"Absolutely," I replied.

Carlisle nodded and with one more glance at my face, he left looking satisfied.

I continued with my shift. After doing my final rounds, I left for my apartment. The crisp spring air caressed my skin as soon as I walked outside. I never thought I'd love a state as much as I loved Washington, but I really did like Maine, which is where I was currently living. It was beautiful and woodsy. It reminded me sometimes of the wilderness of La Push. There was a constant piney scent, although it wasn't the same as what you could find on the Rez.

As I drove I felt a sudden pang of depression that quickly dissipated. That happened to me frequently over the last five years. I wondered sometimes if it had anything to do with the past, but as soon as the thought popped into my head, I did my avoidance dance.

I made my way inside the apartment building and opened my front door. I smiled as I picked up a familiar scent. I put my briefcase down and began to unbutton my dress shirt as I made my way into the bedroom. There she was! Sprawled naked across the bed in all her beautiful glory.

"How was your day?" She asked coyly, getting on her knees as I made my way over to our mattress. She began to unbuckle my pants, her fingers brushing against my growing erection.

"It was interesting," I told her, cupping her breast in my hand, running my thumb over her nipple.

She groaned in response, her head thrown back. I watched with satisfaction, as she reacted to my touch. Her clear, expressive face was etched in pleasure. Her long dark hair shimmered down her back as she moved against my hand. I leaned in and kissed her neck, allowing her sweet scent to fill me. Reaching down, I felt between her legs. She was already ready for me.

"Interesting how…mhmm..." She moaned as my finger dipped into her honeyed entrance.

"An old friend came to see me," I replied, shucking off my pants and briefs quickly. She opened her eyes long enough to stare at my erection. She began to play with me in the way she knew I liked.

"Embry, can we talk later," she asked, pressing her naked body against me.

"Oh hell yeah," I replied, sitting on the edge of our bed so that she could straddle me. I entered her quickly, grabbing her hips to hold her as I thrust up. We set a pace that had me soon reaching my peak. I reached satisfaction before she did, but her body soon followed, clenching around me in sweet release seconds later.

"Oh God Embry…I love you so much," she screamed as she continued to orgasm.

Pulling her mouth to me, I ran my tongue along her lips. I pulled back so that I could whisper gently against her plump mouth.

"I love you too Amy."

_A/N – Props to those of you who guessed in "Early Imprint" that Embry became a doctor. I left a few clues in that story of what his profession was. The major hint was that Carlisle was the only one who could find him. I also left you some foreshadowing in this story when Embry joked with Paul about becoming the "love doctor." :D_

_I received a record high number of reviews on my previous chapter and not one of you cursed me out…Rebecca definitely…but not me, lol. Huge thanks to all of you for your support! All right, let me know what you think of the new chapter! We're almost caught up to Quil's story! Also, don't forget to check out my forum._


	16. Life Goes On

**Chapter 16 – Life Goes On**

Embry's POV

I woke up the next morning and stretched slightly in bed, careful not to wake Amy up who was sleeping beside me. I turned on my side to stare at her for a moment, before reaching over to brush back a strand of hair that was blocking her face from my view.

I loved this woman. I loved seeing her beautiful, clear face. I loved her unique scent of gardenias and medical soap. The gardenias were from a body soap she used. The medical soap came from the job. Amy was a doctor like me.

It had taken me awhile to realize I was attracted to her. I hadn't really paid attention to woman after the Hawaii disaster. I still remembered how startled I'd felt when I realized I could see women again. I made the discovery on the Hawaiian flight home. The female flight attendant had asked me a question and when I went to answer her, I'd noticed she was clear to me. I'd looked around the cabin and saw that all women were no longer out of focus. Instead of the knowledge making me happy though, it had depressed me further. It'd been another sign that my bond to my imprint had well and truly been destroyed.

And aside from seeing women again, females were no longer odorous to me if I felt attracted to them. Not that I had gone out of my way to figure that fact out. For the four years I was in medical school, I never even gave a woman a second glance. I had thrown myself into my studies and that was all I focused on. Amy was the first woman I'd even slept with after Hawaii.

It was while I was in medical school that I met Dr. Pete Logan. Pete was the one who introduced me to Amy. Pete was a professor as well as an internationally known doctor. He became a mentor to me the way Carlisle was. By the time I'd graduated from medical school, I had become close to him.

Pete Logan was the one who suggested I study my first year in Africa. First year residents never were given the opportunity to study abroad. It was quite frankly unheard of. But Dr. Logan, along with several other worldly-renown doctors were running an American sponsored hospital there. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and because it was American run, it met the medical board's requirement that I do my first year internship within an American program.

So I went off to Africa to study with the best of the best…the cream of the crop when it came to doctors, and the first doctor I met was Dr. Amy Jamison. She was already a certified doctor, seven years older than me and building a reputation as one of the world's best cardiologist. I didn't think I'd ever forget the first time I saw her. It wasn't love or attraction that I'd felt for her. It was more irritation and borderline loathing.

Amy had her long brown hair pulled back in a severe bun, her face serious as she took me in with a raised eyebrow. She hadn't understood what I was doing there and had questioned Pete's sanity for allowing a first year resident to practice with the rest of them. He'd convinced her that I was a brilliant student and someone who deserved a spot on their team. I worked especially hard when I first arrived at the hospital to prove to her that I was worthy. The first five months I kept up a pace that mere humans would have never been able to do.

It was while I was assisting her with surgery one day that things clicked for us. I was really there to observe as she performed open-heart surgery. The man started to bleed heavily and I'd had to help stem the flow of blood. Our eyes met and something in our relationship changed in that moment. Nothing like what happens when someone imprints. It was softer…more subtle than that. I saw respect form in her eyes from the way I kept my cool, and I saw her for the first time as a woman instead of just a colleague. And it happened while I was standing there with my hand inside a guy's chest.

We went for a drink later that night and ended up in bed together. It didn't change our relationship professionally. She was still as demanding at work as ever, and I was still overly eager to prove myself, but privately our sex life continued. And over the course of the next six months, I fell in love with her. Not the kind of love that you would die for…the kind that consumed your every breath and thought…not like what I had experienced before, but it was a gentler, safer kind of love. When I decided to continue my residency in the States so that I could focus on becoming an ER doctor, Amy decided to go back with me. I'd been ecstatic.

Looking at her now, I felt thankful again that she had entered my life. Amy was the one who really helped bring me back to life. I had gone on robotic mode throughout medical school. Amy was the one that helped me realize I was still a living, breathing man.

I leaned over and gently kissed her shoulder before getting out of bed. I walked down the hall to my briefcase and pulled out Quil's wedding invitation. The wedding was tomorrow and it looked like there was a bachelor party at Jared and Kim's house tonight. Luckily for me, I didn't have to work this weekend though starting next week, I was scheduled to work weekends for the next month. Maybe having this weekend off was a sign that I was supposed to go to the wedding. It had to be considering I had an Alice Cullen approved tux currently sitting in my car along with a bridesmaid dress that had the name "for Jessica" attached to it.

Putting the invitation on the kitchen counter, I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. While I was shaving, I paused to really look at my face. Although I still phased every once in awhile, my face had somehow managed to age. I looked closer to my actual age of 34 than I did an ageless wolf. I had creases in my skin that should never exist and circles under my eyes that seemed to be permanent no matter how much sleep I got. The years since my imprint bond had been broken had not been kind to me physically. Emotionally though, I was in a good place. How could I not be? I had a job I loved and a girlfriend who I thought the world of.

"Admiring how beautiful you are?" Amy asked, coming into the bathroom and kissing my back before wrapping her arms around me and pressing herself into me from behind. She rested her head on my arm so that her eyes could meet mine in the mirror.

"Nah, just thinking that I'm looking old," I said, turning around so that I could wrap her in my arms.

"We should all look as good as you," Amy replied with a smirk on her face, running her hands down my abs.

I brought her in and kissed her forehead.

"Hey listen, I got an invitation to my friend's wedding in La Push," I told her. "One of our mutual friends stopped by the hospital yesterday with a tux in hand. I think our friend wants me to be a groomsman."

"Oh…will Jake be there?" Amy asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Amy had once seen a picture my mom had sent me of Jake, Quil, and myself when we were younger. It had been taken around the time right before I first phased, but you could see the wolf gene already taking effect in each of our faces. My mom had been cleaning out some old boxes when she discovered the picture. She had felt that I should have it so she shipped it to the hospital in Africa. She was one of the few people who'd known I was studying abroad. As soon as my mom realized that I had not only earned a bachelor's degree, but I was going to become a doctor as well, I had suddenly become vitally important to her. She went out of her way to keep in contact with me.

I think it had more to do with my half-sister's health than anything to do with me. My half-sister was someone I thought of even less than I did my former imprint. As soon as I had hit 18, my mom had moved to Seattle to be with her future husband. They'd been seeing each other for awhile throughout my teen years. As soon as her obligations to me were done, she married the man. My sister was born seven months after my 18th birthday. I hardly saw her as my mom didn't really encourage it.

Her husband was well to do in the Seattle area. It didn't look good if your illegitimate son showed up at the country club. I learned to not think about my sister. It was less painful that way. She was really a perfect stranger to me so it wasn't hard.

She was also severely asthmatic. My mom would call me several times a month while I was in med school on the pretense of wanting to check up on me. But as soon as she knew I was doing okay, she'd launch into my sister's latest issues. I didn't mind though. For one thing, as sad as it was, it was nice to be important to my mom. For another thing, although my mom and step-dad spoiled my half-sister rotten, she was a pretty good kid from what I could tell. It was ironic that my mom's life goal was to never be a mother but she doted on my half-sister. And though my mom wasn't perfect and we would never be that close, my going to medical school had somehow bonded us.

It had been a nice surprise when I received a card from her while I was in Africa. She had told me she was thinking of me and wishing me the best. She'd also included the picture. Amy had taken one look at it and asked who the one guy in the picture was. When I told her it was Jake, Amy had remarked that Jacob was "quite dazzling." I'd snorted in return and jokingly asked, "So my girlfriend's dazzled by Jake?" Amy had then proceeded to give me the best oral sex I'd ever received to prove that she found me far more fascinating than my best friend.

Looking down at her now, I kissed her nose. 'Yes, Jake should be at the wedding. You'll finally get to meet him _and_ his wife and kids in person."

"Now, now…no need to bring up the wife," Amy said, smiling devilishly. "So when's the big event?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Amy replied in surprise. "B, I can't go."

As much as I loved when she called me B, disappointed waved heavily through me.

"Why?" I asked disappointedly.

"I have the Bernstein surgery tomorrow. I can't reschedule."

"Oh," I replied. "Well, I won't go then."

Amy rolled her eyes and kissed my chest. "Of course you should go. You haven't seen these guys in years from what you've told me, and you aren't scheduled to work this weekend. Go and have fun. Do you need to call the airlines?"

"No, the flight's already taken care of." I had discovered an airplane ticket in my work locker along with my tux yesterday. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not," Amy said, smiling up at me. "I'm going to miss you though."

"I'll miss you more," I responded, leaning down to kiss her lips.

Amy reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I placed my arms around her waist and lifted her up so that her face was even with mine. Pulling back slightly, I moved my mouth to her ear to pull on the sensitive skin there.

"What time do you have to be at the hospital today?" I whispered.

"Not for another hour," Amy replied.

I felt her shiver as I moved my lips to her neck and sucked on the skin there. We moved to the bedroom where I proceeded to show her how much I was going to miss her. After Amy left for the hospital, I took a quick shower and packed my suitcase for the weekend. It felt like I had just gotten home from Africa and now I was packing to leave again.

As I waited for the taxi to arrive to take me to the airport, I began to pace nervously throughout the apartment. I hadn't been back to La Push in five years. I barely had any contact with Quil. I knew the garage was doing well. Seth had taken on the finances of the garage and the place was even more successful than when I was helping run it. Along with our pack brother Azra, Quil and Seth had hired Ryan and Brady to work as mechanics as well. I had sold my shares a few years ago and that was really the last time I had contact with them.

I was also nervous about seeing Paul and Rachel again. I had been close to them before I left and I'd moved away so abruptly. I never even said goodbye. I knew their oldest son Devlin had recently phased. It was hard for me to believe that the little kid I used to build forts with was a wolf. Devlin was 12 now and one of the youngest wolves in our history. Ryan still held the record of being the youngest to have phased, being only 11 when he first changed.

A honking noise distracted me. Looking out the window, I saw my taxi had arrived. I picked up my suitcase and headed outside. The flight to Seattle took little time at all. The Cullens had arranged for me to take a small commuter flight to Port Angeles. By the time I actually got there, it was starting to get dark out. I got into the rental car, also arranged by the Cullens, and headed towards La Push.

As I got closer to my old home, I picked up the familiar scent of ocean and rainforest. It was a smell that would forever remind me of my home. As I drove through Forks, my hands tightened on the steering wheel as I waited for the painful memories of my imprint to assail me. It didn't happen.

To my relief, I found that I had well and truly moved on from my past. It was almost like the whole imprinting fiasco had happened to someone else. I wasn't the same person I was when I left here. I had grown up and found my place in the world. Once I reached La Push, I made a quick drive by the house I lived in before I left La Push.

It wasn't even there anymore. I guess the damage I had done to it when I ripped it to shreds was too great and they had torn it down. I could see the beach from where I was parked. The beach where I had kissed _her_ and confessed my love. It had been the beginning of the end for my imprint and me. Yet, I still felt oddly detached from those memories.

I drove my car into the center of La Push. I passed the Clearwater Supply Store. I had a lot of fond memories of hanging out there when I was a kid with Quil and Jake. Before he died, Harry Clearwater had been another one to look out for me. He used to always ask how I was doing and would give me free candy. He was like Quil Sr. and Billy Black…another tribal elder looking after the kid without a father.

I'd really felt bad when he'd died from a heart attack. It was on the same day that Leah and Seth had phased for the first time. Leah had overheard her father tell her mother that Sam and Emily had gotten engaged. Leah had lost it and phased. She'd tried to attack her dad and Seth ended up phasing to protect his parents. Harry had a heart attack and had died a few hours later.

The pack had mourned his loss. Harry had been a good man who helped all of us, especially Sam. Sam had looked on Harry as the father he'd never had considering his own father was absent most of his life. Sam had gotten close to Harry while he was dating Leah. After Sam imprinted on Emily, it was Harry who'd had to explain to Sam what imprinting was. Sam had been devastated when Harry died. But of course it was nothing compared to how Seth and Leah felt. I always felt bad that Leah and Seth had lost their dad at such a young age. I would never have anything to do with my own father, Joshua Uley, but at least I knew he was out there somewhere. As I pulled up to Jared's house, I wondered briefly if I would ever get a chance to confront Joshua about being my father. Then again, did it even matter?

I looked at the Wakeh house before taking a deep breath and getting out of the rental car. My stomach twisted with nerves. I wondered what my reception would be. As I approached the house I could hear loud music blaring. It sounded like gaudy, 1950s stripper music. I knocked on the front door. A teenage girl answered it.

"You here for the party?" She asked.

"Yeah," I replied. I knew I was talking to one of Jared's twin girls, but I couldn't remember which one. The girls weren't identical, but the last time I saw them they were playing with Barbies. The girl standing before me was 15.

"Hayley, who is it?" A recognizable voice called out. Jared's wife, Kim, appeared moments later.

"Good Lord, is that Embry Call?" Kim asked.

I smiled in return, "Hey Kim, it's good to see you again."

"It is you," Kim returned, rushing to me to give me a fierce hug. "How've you been?"

"Good, thanks. How have you been? "

Kim pulled away from me and turned to wrap her arm around her daughter's waist.

"We've been really good. Do you remember Hayley?"

"Sort of…last time I saw her she was a lot younger." I nodded at Hayley who smiled flirtatiously in return.

I tried very hard not to smile. I had an idea that Jared had his hands full with this one. Considering how much Jared slept around before he imprinted on Kim, it really did serve him right to have twin girls. He was going to have to protect them from guys who were just like he used to be.

"Yep, the kids around here grow up fast," Kim said. "Hanna, our other daughter, just got into town herself. She's studying at Interlochen in Michigan. It's a performing arts school. Hanna wants to be a professional pianist someday. She's going to play at Quil's wedding tomorrow. We're so excited to have her home. It's the first time she's been here since Christmas."

"Congratulations, it sounds like things are going great here," I told her.

"Yeah," Kim replied proudly before shaking her head. "Wow, Embry Call…well, the guys are in the basement. I know they're going to be so excited to see you."

I thanked her and made my way down the stairs. The sight before my eyes was something I never wanted to see again. Quil had a stripper for his bachelor party. The only problem was she was older than his grandfather. Quil looked horrified as the elderly woman began to smack her butt and made a "woo" sound with each smack. The other pack members were laughing hysterically at Quil's humiliation. Seth was actually on the ground next to his chair, he was laughing so hard.

"Did I come at a bad time?" I asked in disturbed bewilderment. The crowd of my former brothers, retired and still active, all turned their heads in my direction. I was soon surrounded by Jake, who pulled me into a hug, Quil's grandfather, and Quil.

"It's good to have you back, my boy," Quil Sr. said. I glanced over at him and was immediately concerned with the yellowish tint to his skin. However, before I could ask questions, Quil Jr, was there hugging me.

"Thanks for coming," Quil said, giving me a pat on the back.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here earlier," I explained. "I got the invitation the same day Carlisle showed up where I was working. He basically told me to get my ass out here."

"He found you then?" Jake asked, smiling.

"Yeah…" I replied smiling back. I really missed him…all these guys. I knew Jake felt the same way and in that moment, the awkwardness in our relationship dissipated like it never happened. Feeling relieved, I asked, "So where are Meena and Gabe?"

"Out hunting." Jake told him.

"You're going to be in my wedding right?" Quil suddenly asked. "I want you and Jake both as my best men."

I nodded in return, "Alice apparently had a vision a couple of days ago that Claire's friend Jessica was suddenly going to be in the wedding. She couldn't see who else joined the party, so she figured it was me. When Carlisle came to see me, he brought a tux for me and an extra bridesmaid dress for Jessica. They're both in my rental car."

"I have to call Claire and let her know," Quil said excitedly, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Seth and Azra both came over to shake my hand and pat my back along with Sam and his son Nate. The Alpha power coming off Nate was unreal. I had never felt such a strong presence, not even with Sam or Jacob. Jared, Collin, and Brady also came over to say hello. I waved to Ryan who was sitting next to one of his best friends Tristen Hobucket, a retired wolf from the "Volturi Visit" era. Ryan looked absolutely miserable which made me realize that Gracie was still giving him grief for being a wolf.

Quil was having trouble speaking to Claire on his cell due to the fact that Claire was having her bachelorette party at some club, and she couldn't hear what he was saying. He finally gave up trying to talk to her and began to text her. I went over and said hello to Rafe Elwah and Mac Pachena, more wolves who changed around the same time Ryan did. I hadn't seen these guys in years. It looked like the entire pack was here except for Ethan Bennett who was living in Chicago, Leah, who wouldn't come to a bachelor party anyway, but who was also nine months pregnant with her third child, and Will Samson.

I actually would have been surprised if Will had shown up. Will had fallen in love with Leah shortly after he phased for the first time though he never imprinted on her. I remembered him following her around while we were training for the Volturi "battle." He had barely left her side either then or at Sam and Emily's wedding. I was pretty sure he tried to win her over at Jake's wedding too, but at that point Leah had gotten engaged to her husband Dylan. Leah's biggest goal in life was to distance herself from the pack life, so no one was surprised that things hadn't worked out for Will. Will left the pack shortly after Jake's wedding and went off to become a Hollywood talent agent.

As I looked around the room now, I realized how much I missed everyone. It was nice to have the entire pack almost back together, especially with the retired wolves here. I noticed that the only one missing aside from Leah, Ethan, and Will was Paul, but Mac told me Paul was just out for a beer run.

As I stood next to Mac and Rafe, I couldn't help but feel pride in how well they turned out. They had both been only 13 when they first phased. Mac had become a cop and worked for Charlie Swan. It was a fitting career choice. What could be better than a 6'5 cop with rock-hard muscles? Mac had imprinted on his wife Livy, who for a couple of years had also been his step-sister. He joked about how freaked he'd been when his father first introduced him to his future step-mom and sister and he promptly imprinted on Livy. She had been 15 at the time whereas Mac had been 17. As soon as Mac had turned 18, he left the house and didn't return until Livy was legal. When she became of age, he told her how he felt, they eloped, and they now had four kids, Jay, Lucy, Joe, and Allie.

Rafe was another wolf who had imprinted. After leaving the pack, Rafe had moved to Arizona for college. It was there that he met his imprint and future wife Manda. Manda was part Navajo, part Irish. Luckily for Rafe, Manda was just as enthralled with Rafe as he was with her. They married and had three children, Arabella, whom he fondly referred to as Ara, his son Taurin, whom they called Tauri, and his youngest daughter Maya. Rafe was in the middle of telling me that he and his wife were planning on moving back to La Push when Quil came up to me.

"Okay, we're good." Quil said. "We'll just have to rearrange the order of which guy is going to walk with which girl. Claire said we'll shift the guys down to the next girl."

"So, I'm going to be walking with Amber then?" Collin wondered.

I frowned at him. I didn't know who Amber was, but I knew for a fact that Collin's wife and imprint was named Lindsey. I also knew that Collin was madly in love with his wife. Something in his tone though spoke of a strange fascination with Amber that made me uneasy.

"Yeah." Quil replied, staring down at his cell phone as though mesmerized by Claire's text messages.

"Who am I walking with then?" Seth asked.

"Claire's college roommate Jessica."

"Is she hot?" Seth questioned.

"I don't know." Quil shook his head. "I've never been able to see her clearly. But I do know she has a boyfriend."

"Hey, whatever happened to that blonde you were banging at the garage?" Collin asked Seth.

The guys started giving Seth crap. I sat quietly next to Rafe. I didn't know who the blonde was, but I didn't feel left out of the conversation. I was too happy being with the guys again. I noticed Quil walk over to Ryan who was sitting stiffly in the corner.

"You okay?" Quil asked in a low tone.

"So that means I'm walking with Gracie tomorrow?" Ryan questioned.

"Yeah."

"Does she know?"

"Probably not," Quil said. "They dropped her off at home before they went to the club. She's not out with the girls tonight."

Ryan nodded but ran his hands nervously through his hair. Jake's phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the Caller ID before answering it.

"Dad, can you meet me and Gabe." Meena's words rang out clearly over the phone. Nate Uley's head whipped around like it was on a spring. He didn't take his eyes off Jake as he heard Meena's voice. I sat up straight myself as I heard panic in Meena's tone.

"You two still out hunting?" Jake asked.

"Yes," Meena replied.

"I'll be right there," Jake said before hanging up the phone and turning to Quil. "Quil, sorry man, I've got to leave."

"No problem," Quil responded.

"See you tomorrow," Jake told everyone before walking out the door.

Nate started to follow Jake almost as though he were a puppet and Jake was pulling the strings.

"Son, where are you going?" Sam asked, putting an arm around Nate.

"Hmm?" Nate murmured, looking at his father in confusion for a moment. "Oh, I was going to see if Jake needed help."

Sam smiled at that. "I think he's got this one."

Nate nodded and sat in the nearest chair. He turned and stared blankly at the wall as though he were in a daze. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Nate imprinted on Meena through just the sound of her voice…not that that was possible. Quil looked over at me and I just smiled and shook my head. Rafe got up to speak with Tristen. Quil took his chair next to me and sat down. Collin took the other side.

"So who's Amber?" I asked. Collin immediately stiffened.

Quil eyed him for a moment before explaining, "Amber and one of the other bridesmaid's, Amanda, are some of Claire's closest friends. The girls grew up with Claire and Lindsey, Collin's wife."

"And you imprinted on Lindsey right?" I asked Collin.

"Yeah," Collin said somewhat defensively. Collin was the jokester of the pack, so I decided to leave the topic alone as it seemed like I was offending him. Collin however, suddenly wanted to talk.

"It's just kind of weird. I imprinted on Lindsey when she was 15. I've been in love with her almost as long. All women have always been blurry to me…except for Amber. I thought maybe Amber was in a lot of pain and that's why she's always been in focus, but none of the other imprinted wolves can see her…just me."

"Are you related to her?" I asked, going into doctor mode. I wanted to figure out the cause.

"Nope," Collin replied, slouching in his chair and stretching out his legs in front of him.

"Are you sure she's not the daughter of a wolf?" Quil asked.

Imprinted wolves could see women under only a few conditions: if the woman was in pain, if she was a vampire or half breed such as Ness, if she was in the pack such as Leah, and as it was recently discovered once the kids starting hitting puberty, if the woman was the child of a wolf. I was sure that every single imprinted wolf could go upstairs and see Jared's girls Hanna and Hayley if they wanted to.

"No…she's not related to anyone here," Collin explained.

"There must be a reason you can see her," I said. I looked over at Quil Sr. who was the only Elder presence. He was busy flirting with the elderly stripper. My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden commotion at the stairs.

"The beer is here…what'd I miss?" Paul called out, carrying in six cases of beer. He put the beer on the basement wet bar, turned, and froze when he saw me.

"Embry?"

"Hey Paul," I said, getting up to shake his hand. Paul came over and gripped me in a bear hug.

"Embry, man, it's great to see you." Paul said, smiling widely.

"How are the kids doing?" I asked.

"Good…Dev's part of the pack now," Paul replied proudly. "Sean's doing great…he's seven now and huge for his age."

"And with a temper to match Paul's," Brady joked, joining the group.

"How's R-Rachel?" I managed to stutter.

"Good…she'll be happy to see you," Paul responded. "We were just talking about you the other day, wondering what you were up to."

"Yeah…I've been busy," I remarked.

"Listen," Paul said, stepping in front of me to separate us from the rest of the pack. "I wanted to talk to you about Reb-"

"No," I replied, immediately stiffening up. "I won't get into that."

"But I wanted to tell you about Ia-"

"No Paul. I didn't come back here for this. I've moved on with my life. I'm happy. There's no need to bring up the past as far as I'm concerned."

"Okay," Paul sighed. "But can we at least talk before you leave."

"If it's about Reb…if it's about Rebecca, I have nothing to say," I told him, trembling slightly.

I hadn't said her name in five years. I walked away from him and sat down next to Collin. Collin had his hands folded across his chest. He was staring at them in confusion. When I sat down, he looked up at me and gave me a half smile.

"Hey Em," Collin started to say, "When we're at the wedding tomorrow, will you let me know if you can see Amber…seeing as you've imprinted too."

"Actually, I can see all women," I muttered.

"What?" Collin asked in surprise.

"My bond to my imprint is broken. It doesn't exist anymore. I've been able to see women for years." I told him and watched the other wolves all turn and look at me in surprise. Quil Sr. looked at me with a frown on his face, his eyebrows snapping together.

I shifted uncomfortably and Quil took pity on me and changed the topic to a more neutral subject…neutral being anything Claire related. He told me what she'd been up to over the past five years and the crowd after awhile started to dissipate. Paul didn't approach me again. Quil and I eventually went back to his house where we talked some more.

I was shocked to learn about everything Claire and Quil had been through in the past five years. He told me how in the previous year a man had broken into an apartment Claire had been living in. She had been doing in internship in the California area at the time and the man assaulted her. Quil had found the man and had given him permanent brain damage. He would have killed him if Nate hadn't stopped him in time. If that wasn't bad enough, as soon as Claire started to show major signs of improvement, she was kidnapped by a vampire. Luckily, Quil got to her in time and the pack destroyed the bloodsucker. But his presence had forced Quil to tell Claire everything about imprinting and the pack. It had almost ruined their relationship, but they managed to mend it somehow. Through it all though, Claire and Quil had managed to persevere and now they were stronger and happier than ever.

Perhaps it was being home again, or maybe it was seeing Paul after so long, but I heard a tiny voice whispering inside my head.

_If Claire and Quil made it through so much, what's to say the same thing can't happen for you?_

Maybe coming home was a mistake after all.


	17. Single Wolves: Beware

_A/N – To my anonymous reviewers…I love your comments and questions, but I can't reply to you unless you're signed in. Just wanted to let you know though that some of your comments on the previous chapter cracked me up!_

**Prologue**

Embry's POV

What is it about wolf weddings? When an imprinter and an imprintee are joined in the bonds of holy matrimony, all hell seems to break loose for all other wolves. There needs to be a disclaimer on wolf wedding invitations. You know something along the lines of…

_Hey, you're invited to our wedding. Oh and by the way, if you're a wolf, and you just happen to be single, chances are you're going to end up imprinting while you're there. _

That's imprint love for you. It's like Cupid suddenly took up the habit of smoking crack and decided to spend his free time randomly shooting poisonous arrows into some poor, unsuspecting wolf's ass!

That's what happened at Jake's wedding. Jake and Ness married. One down…so many more lives to destroy. Ryan imprinted on his Alpha's 3-year-old daughter and I imprinted on Jake's married sister. The imprint magic got two new "couples" out of that wedding. Same freaking thing happened at Quil's wedding. Quil and Claire got married, and bam…more imprints. As I watched all the chaos unfold around me, I came up with a theory.

The imprint magic in our blood had a "take no prisoners" mentality. It knows when it's managed to join one wolf with his mate thereby successfully carrying on the wolf gene, but it's never satisfied. It has to look for other wolves to infect. The doctor in me realized that imprinting was like a virus. It left the happy couple and would spread, infecting some innocent bystander, thus ensuring that the mutant gene would be passed on through yet another pre-engineered couple.

Luckily for me, I had already been infected with the disease. I had been given the cure, and all I had to do was sit back and watch everything unfold. And wow, Quil's wedding didn't disappoint.

First there were the wolves who had already imprinted.

There was Collin, the imprinted but I might still secretly have the hots for my wife's best friend wolf. What killed me was that while I had suffered years of torment anytime I so much as glanced at a female, the imprint magic seemed to approve of Collin's fascination with another woman. I still couldn't figure out how the hell it was possible for Collin to be so affected by Amber…unless Lindsey was into open marriage and had ordered him to make a move on Amber. That was kinky, but Lindsey didn't seem the type.

Then there was Ryan, the imprinted but my imprint hates me cause of my wolf side, so let me force myself on her cause that always a good idea wolf. I had to give Ryan credit. He tried very hard all night to get on Gracie's good side. But sometimes wolves do very stupid things when they're desperate. And Ryan acted very stupid that night.

But then there were the new imprint couples. That's right, I said imprint_ couples!_ Nate and Meena were obviously going to imprint. You could read that in the cards even before Meena was born, and Nate would spend time talking to her through the womb. I wished Nate all the best with that one. He was going to need it.

But Nate wasn't the only one to get shot in the ass by Cupid's drug-induced imprint arrow that night. There was another wolf. I had to hand it to him. He hid it well. I was impressed that he kept it quiet considering how freaked out he was.

And then there was me. I didn't come out of the wedding completely unscathed. Just when my life was finally making sense, I was stupid enough to come back to La Push where my life always got fucked up. I was so cocky walking into that wedding. I thought I was untouchable. And then one freaking conversation had me on pins and needles again.

But I digress…I need to start at the beginning…

**Chapter 17 – Single Wolves: Beware **

Embry's POV

The bride was late. Quil was pacing up and down the beach, continuously glancing in the area Claire was supposed to appear. They had decided on a beach wedding because Quil had told me they had a lot of history together on this spot. I stood quietly next to Jacob and Seth near the makeshift altar as we waited. Nate and his cousin Nick, Claire's brother, were huddled together cracking jokes. It was nice to see Nate getting to act like a teenager. Rounding out the groomsmen were Collin and Ryan who was looking decidedly green.

"Maybe she stood you up," Collin said slyly to Quil.

Quil looked like he was about to run down the beach and look for his missing bride, when Jake snapped, "Shut the fuck up."

The minister, who was standing nearby, cleared his throat. Jacob looked over and with reddening cheeks muttered, "I apologize."

I let my eyes drift over the crowd of witnesses. I noticed Jared and his family first. I recognized Hayley from last night. I glanced at her twin Hanna who was sitting at the keyboard set up on the beach. Her eyes were focused on the beach's parking lot, waiting for her cue to start the wedding march. The twins were not identical, but both were equally good looking in their own way.

My eyes moved on and made contact with Leah Clearwater-Gordon's. She waved and I nodded back. Leah kept rubbing her very pregnant belly with one hand while holding her husband Dylan's hand with her other. Leah was sitting with Charlie and Sue Clearwater-Swan. When I had run into Sue earlier this morning, her reception had been decidedly frosty. I had a feeling it had a lot to do with how I'd handled my imprint situation. As an Elder, she would have been more than aware that I had spent the majority of my 20s drunk off my ass and sleeping with as many women as I could.

"Where are Meena and Gabe? Weren't they supposed to be here?" I heard Quil ask Jacob. I turned my head towards them and watched Nate Uley become very still.

"Uh…they had a little problem when they were hunting last night," Jacob said in a very quiet voice. "They decided to go out this morning because Meena was starting to feel sick. Gabe can go awhile without blood. Meena can't. I suppose they're out gorging themselves just to be on the safe side."

Music suddenly began to play letting us know that Claire had arrived. We quickly got in order and waited for the bridal party to reach us. The first bridesmaid to appear I assumed was Claire's college roommate Jessica. Next was Gracie. I hadn't seen her since she was nine. She was growing into a very pretty girl. Someday she'd be beautiful. I saw Ryan stand straight as he watched his imprint walk down the aisle towards him. He looked so proud of her. She glanced at him and quickly looked away. I saw her chin rise fractionally. Stubborn…that's what came to mind as I watched her.

Next was Claire's friend Amber. So this was the girl causing Collin so much confusion. She was a looker, although I could tell she had been crying given her puffy eyes. I glanced over at Collin and noticed he was staring at her with a bemused expression on his face.

Claire's other childhood friend Ashley followed Amber. The girl looked like a bitch. She had a bright smiled plastered to her face, but I could tell she was pissed about something. My eyes went to the next girl coming down the aisle and I felt a big smile cross my face. Quil's older sister Kya, was another extended sibling of mine. She was a lot older than Quil, Jake, and I, but she was always fun to hang out with whenever she'd let us when we were kids. She saw me now and winked. I smiled brightly back.

Following Kya was Collin's wife Lindsey. She was pretty, but there was something in her expression that made me really like her. She seemed to be a very genuine, kind person. I hoped Collin realized how lucky he was to have her. Going by the look on his face, I knew he definitely did. He looked like his own personal sun was walking towards him. Their eyes met and very briefly I ached to feel what they had. Then I forced myself to think of Amy's delicate features and my contentment returned.

Claire's sister Cora was next and then finally Claire approached. She looked incredible in a simple dress with her hair pulled off her face in a bun. It was hard to believe this was the little girl I'd watched Quil imprint on so many years ago. As I watched Claire and Quil become joined in marriage, it was remarkable how I didn't envy him like I once might of. Instead, I felt proud. Quil had stayed true to Claire for 17 years. He never even thought about another woman in all that time. My brother was getting married to the girl of his dreams. No one in the world deserved happiness more than those two.

They exchanged vows and the minister pronounced them husband and wife. Quil kissed Claire as though he'd never let her go. They only broke apart when a couple of people whistled. Quil looked sheepish, but clasped Claire to him as they walked back down the aisle. Jake and Cora followed, before I walked over to Lindsey and we made our way to Quil and Claire. The rest of the wedding party soon joined us, Ryan beaming because Gracie was actually holding onto his arm. And then the ceremony was officially over.

I went straight over to Billy Black to say hello as he hadn't attended the bachelor party the night before. We were busy catching up when I heard a commotion. By the time I figured out that Leah had gone into labor, Seth had her in his arms and in her husband's car before I could even offer my assistance. Leah, her husband Dylan, Sue, and Charlie left for the hospital. Leah requested Seth stay for the reception.

We headed over to the Rez's conference hall where the reception was taking place. The inside of the building was beautiful. It had to be…Alice Cullen had organized it. Even though the Cullens stayed away from the area so that they wouldn't cause a wolf explosion amongst the tribe, Alice had met Claire in Seattle and arranged everything. The reception ran like clock work and our dinners were soon brought out to us. I was sitting next to Seth who kept fidgeting in his chair.

I finally asked, "What's your problem?"

Seth glanced around before whispering, "Jared's daughter Hayley."

"What about her?"

"She keeps watching me. She did it through the whole ceremony and when I showed up at the bachelor party last night, she kept flirting with me until Kim told her to leave me alone."

I looked over to where Jared and his family were sitting and saw Hayley talking to her parents and twin. Sure enough, her eyes kept glancing to Seth.

"She's cute," I told him in a laughing tone.

"Yeah, if you're into jailbait. She's 15."

"You're not getting any older, ya know," I replied.

"I'm 33!"

"Physically you're only 25. Three more years and she's yours for the taking."

"First off, Jared would kill me if I made a move on his daughter. Secondly…15 is way too young to even think about shit like that."

Her age didn't stop Seth from checking Hayley out though when he thought no one was looking.

Quil and Claire started off their first dance as a married couple and the rest of the wedding party soon joined them. I began to dance with Lindsey. My eyes drifted around the room, my eyes landing on Rachel. I forgot how identical she really was to her sister. She waved at me trying to get my attention, but I quickly looked away. My eyes settled briefly on Gracie and Ryan.

Gracie was dancing stiffly in Ryan's arms. Ryan looked frustrated and in pain. Sighing, he finally bent down and whispered something in Gracie's ear which made her giggle in response, her face turning red. Ryan started to chuckle. He spun Gracie away from him, causing her to start laughing. Ryan brought her back close to him and she buried her face into his stomach area. I glanced over to where Sam and Emily were sitting to see how they were reacting to this display of affection. They both looked relieved. I felt Lindsey stiffen in my arms and I looked to see what had caught her attention.

Collin and Amber were dancing a little too close to each other. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. I noticed Amber's eyes close as Collin's lips got close to her skin. Whatever Collin said made Amber shake her head. He pulled away from her and she plastered on a fake smile even as several tears spilled from her eyes. Collin reached up and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. Amber closed her eyes and leaned even closer to him. Lindsey gasped and looked away. I looked down into her brown eyes and the pain in them made my stomach twist.

"Collin loves you very much. I know that for a fact."

"Yeah, I know," Lindsey whispered, trying to smile up at me.

If Collin was standing next to me, I would have decked him for hurting his wife. The irony was not lost on me that at another wedding, I had debated whether to bust up Rebecca's marriage, and now here I was wanting to force Collin to remember the sanctity of marriage.

As soon as the song was over, Lindsey left me to claim her husband. I noticed Claire's friend Ashley quickly went over to Amber and grabbed her hand, dragging her off the floor. Nate and Claire's brother Nick met up with Paul's son Devlin and headed towards the kitchen. I made my way over to an empty table to check my voicemail. One of my colleagues promised to keep me updated on a couple of patients' cases I was assigned to. I had just finished listening to my last voicemail when I saw Quil headed in my direction.

"A lot of messages?" He asked as he sat down next to me.

"Yeah…work," I replied, pressing the end button on my phone.

"You in that much demand as a mechanic?" Quil asked in surprise.

Shit! I'd been so busy getting caught up on all the pack news last night, I'd neglected to tell everyone that I'd spent the past five years training to become a doctor.

"Oh hell…look Quil, I've been meaning to tell you…I'm not a mechanic, I'm a--"

My cell phone went off. I looked down at it with a frown. Who knew when I'd get a chance to talk to Quil again. The frown disappeared when I saw it was Amy.

"We'll catch up later." Quil said, getting up from the table. I looked at him for a moment before answering my phone.

"Hey," I said, my voice taking on a caressing tone.

"Hey yourself," Amy's sweetly replied. "How'd the wedding go?"

"So far not a lot of drama," I joked.

"I miss you. When are you coming home?" She asked.

"I think I'm going to come home early after all…probably tomorrow," I replied.

"Okay, let me know when your flight gets in and I'll try to come get you if I can."

"Thanks Amy," I replied.

"I love you," Amy said.

"I love you too," I responded, before hanging up the phone. I picked up a familiar scent and sighed as I saw Rachel Black-Wakeh approaching.

"Embry, how are you?" Rachel asked sitting down next to me.

"Great Rach…how've you been?"

"Fine…listen…I wanted to talk to you."

"If it's about Rebecca…as I told Paul, that's not a topic I want to discuss," I said firmly. "I'm happy with my life Rachel. I've got a girlfriend who I'm in love with, and I don't see any need to rehash the past."

Rachel seemed taken aback for a moment before saying, "You know, I was going to call you last year, but you disappeared on us. Even Jake didn't know where you were."

"What'd you want to talk to me about?"

Rachel looked sheepish for a moment, "Well…actually Becks had asked me for your number."

"Is she still with Ian?" I asked, then cursed myself for even caring.

"Yes, but--"

"Then we have nothing further to discuss," I said, getting up from the table and walking away.

As I left, I heard Paul say something to Rachel that sounded like, "you tried." I walked swiftly towards the main entrance and almost knocked Claire over in the process. I grabbed her arm to keep her from falling over. She froze at my abrupt gesture and I immediately dropped my hand. It was obvious that the ramifications from the assault still plagued her. I took a step back giving her distance and Claire instantly relaxed.

"Hey Embry, it's been a long time, huh?"

"Yeah…you've grown up since I last saw you."

Claire laughed, "I hope I did, otherwise Quil would be committing a felony right now."

I smiled in return.

"He's lucky to have you," I told her.

Claire shook her head, "I'm the lucky one."

She stared at me for a second before leaning in to hug me briefly.

"Thank you for being apart of our wedding," she said. "I know it wouldn't have been the same for Quil without you. You and Jake are the only real brothers he has."

I nodded and murmured that I was glad to do it, but I felt a large lump in my throat. It was nice to be reminded that I did have family. Whether we were blood related or not, Jake and Quil were my brothers in every way that counted. Claire excused herself and went to join Quil. I made my way out the front door and met Meena and Gabe Black.

Both kids were unearthly good looking…they'd have to be given their vampire blood. Gabe looked a lot like his dad, right down to the slight dent in his chin. The only difference I really saw was that Gabe had inherited his mother's pale skin tone, but otherwise he looked like Jake. Meena had long reddish brown hair with startling emerald green eyes. I knew that anywhere Meena went, she would draw attention…she was that beautiful. In fact, I'd say she was even prettier than Rosalie Hale and that was saying something.

We exchanged hellos before the kids went inside. I looked back at Gabe as he disappeared from my view. There was something different about the kid since I last saw him. I couldn't put my finger on it though.

I made it outside and was staring up at the stars trying to collect my thoughts when Devlin, Paul's son, came flying out the door. He looked upset and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw me.

"Dev, how's it going?" I asked. Man, this kid looked a lot like Paul…it was eerie.

"Oh…hey, Uncle Embry," Devlin said, reverting to what he used to call me when he was younger.

"You okay?" I asked, concerned by the scared, lost look on his face.

"Sure." Devlin shrugged distractedly.

"I thought you were in the kitchen stuffing your face with Nate and Claire's brother," I remarked.

"Nate wanted to go back to the reception, so I left Nick to finish off the rest of the food. I needed a moment to think."

"Anything I can help you with?" I offered.

"What…what's it like to imprint?"

I looked at him for a moment before sitting down on the curb. Devlin sat down next to me looking forlorn.

"It's hard to describe really. You look at the girl and everything around you sort of disappears and you feel a connection to her like nothing you've ever felt before…your gravity shifts and suddenly your whole world revolves around her."

I stopped talking as I watched Devlin's hands begin to shake hard. He had only started phasing a couple of months ago. I really hoped he didn't phase when there were a lot of wedding guests inside who weren't in the know about the wolves of La Push.

"I…I think I imprinted," Devlin whispered, looking completely freaked out.

"Who's the girl?" I asked.

"Hanna Becknell," Devlin said and the way he worshipped her name, I knew he had in fact imprinted on Jared's pianist daughter.

"Was today the first time you ever saw her?" I asked.

"Since I became a wolf, yeah," Devlin replied.

"So what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside with your imprint?"

"She's older than me…she's 15. She probably only sees me as a kid. Worse…when her spring break is over, she'll be headed back to that school she goes to in Michigan. I'll never see her again and my life will be over."

I turned my head to hide my smile. Ah, to be a teenager again.

"Devlin, you're physically about 20-years-old. And since she's going to be leaving town soon, why don't you go in and spend as much time with her as you can? Ask her to dance. I'm sure she'll say yes."

"What do I do when she leaves though?" Devlin whimpered.

"Get her email address, be her friend, and when she comes back into town again, make your move."

Devlin nodded before getting up and straightening his shoulders. He put on a brave, tough face, before looking back at me unsurely.

"Go get her," I encouraged.

"Right," Devlin nodded.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back towards the main entrance and marched back inside, determination oozing off him. I let out a chuckle as soon as the door closed behind him. Not even a minute passed when Quil Ateara Sr. walked up to me. My ultra-sensitive hearing could pick up an irregularity in his heartbeat.

"Quil, are you feeling okay?" I asked as he approached me.

"Never mind me. I wanted to talk to you about what you said last night regarding your imprint. You know it's impossible to break your bond, right?"

"It isn't impossible. It happened. I feel nothing to her…no connection at all." I told the Elder.

"Embry, imprinting isn't like a country club you can join and then quit whenever you like. Imprinting is for life. Once you imprint, that's it."

"I'm sorry Quil, but you're wrong," I said, trying not to get angry. "I've got a girlfriend who I'm deeply in love with. I can see her without any problems. When we kiss, I feel no pain."

"She's not your soul mate." Quil replied stubbornly.

"Imprinting isn't about soul mates," I snapped. "It's just science's way of ensuring the wolf gene gets passed on. Plain and simple."

"Really?" Quil snorted. "Tell me something…does your girlfriend make you feel truly complete? Does she make you feel like you own the world simply because she smiled at you?"

I knew what he was talking about and it pissed me off.

"I can't go through it again." I whispered, hoping with everything in me that Quil was wrong this time.

"You don't have a choice." Quil said. "Look at you now. You think you're happy. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You're the only active wolf in history to age. It's not because you're getting older. It's because whether you know it or not, you're under great strain. Being separated from your true mate is slowly killing you."

He suddenly shifted awkwardly and I heard his heart become erratic again.

"What's wrong with you Quil? Your coloring is off, your heart's rhythm is all over the place, and forgive me, but you look slightly bloated."

"What are you a doctor?" Quil asked sarcastically.

"Actually…yeah," I responded with a half smile.

Quil smiled back and slowly shook his head.

"You are a wonder Embry Call. Your father's got to be filled with pride right now."

"I seriously doubt that," I replied dryly.

Quil looked at me funny and opened his mouth to say something, but there was a sudden loud commotion. Looking around the corner of the building, Quil Sr. and I watched as Nate Uley shoved Gabe Black out the building's side entrance like a football player tackling someone. Gracie Uley, Meena Black, Seth and Quil Jr. soon followed. Both Nate and Gabe went flying back and promptly burst into wolves. Nate was just the opposite of his father in coloring. While Sam was all black, Nate was a very light gray to the point he looked white. Gabe, who I didn't even know was a wolf, looked like Jacob in wolf form, but his coloring was redder.

They stood snarling at each other before Gabe lunged at Nate. Even from where I stood I could feel the Alpha power coming off not just Nate but Gabe too. I already knew that Nate was an Alpha. Gabe was a complete surprise. If something wasn't done, they'd end up killing each other.

Two Alphas couldn't be near each other, it was just the way wolves were. Sam and Jacob almost killed each other years ago because of their Alpha powers. It was the reason Sam had lost it and ordered the attack on the Cullens when Bella was pregnant with Renesmee. Jake had fully accepted his Alpha powers that night and Sam had reacted without thought or reason. That's what happened when two Alphas got close to each other, especially when one wolf was on the other's turf. Nate was the La Push Alpha, Gabe was the intruder. I didn't see how this could end well. Just as I thought that, Gabe ripped his claws into Nate's skin who howled in response.

"Girls, get back inside," Quil Jr. yelled.

Meena did what she was told. I glanced at her before she went inside. I felt my eyebrows go up as I caught sight of her face. She looked like she was going to cry, but she also looked completely enamored. Watching her as she glanced back at Nate one more time, it didn't take a genius to realize that Nate had imprinted on her.

As Meena disappeared inside, Gracie stood frozen looking petrified. From everything I had learned about the situation with Gracie, the one time Gracie had seen a pack member phase it had been due to anger. The same thing happened in front of her again tonight.

Ryan chose that unfortunate moment to come outside. He took one look at the situation and ran over to his imprint to stand in front of her protectively. Seeing Ryan, Gracie snapped out of her mini-coma and proceeded to freak out.

"You're monsters…uncontrollable MONSTERS!" She screamed, hitting Ryan on the back.

Now in all the years I had known Ryan, I knew two things about him for certain. One, he was one of the most laid back guys you could ever meet. Very little ever fazed him. Two, Ryan cherished Gracie above everything else. I knew he'd felt tremendous strain when Gracie refused to have anything to do with him once she realized he was a wolf. He bore her treatment in silence, even though it had obviously caused him great pain. So when Ryan finally snapped upon hearing his imprint call him a monster it wasn't entirely surprising. It was the way he lost it that was so unexpected.

Hearing Gracie's hate-filled words, Ryan turned and grabbed his 14-year-old imprint arms and yanked her towards him, crushing her mouth to his. Gracie whimpered in pain. She began to hit at his sides and back; though when Ryan deepened the kiss I saw Gracie's hands briefly grasp him.

Nate and Gabe must have sensed something had happened, because they stopped fighting long enough for Nate to see Ryan assaulting his little sister. Nate let out a ferocious growl which was clearly an Alpha order. Whatever he said, Ryan let go of Gracie as though he'd suddenly been tasered. Gracie's eyes filled with tears as she brought a trembling hand to her mouth which I could see was bleeding.

"Grace," Ryan said, shock and regret evident in his voice. "I'm sorry--"

"Monster," Gracie whispered before turning and running from the building.

Ryan ran a hand through his short hair as he watched his injured imprint leave. He turned and looked at the building before he drew back his fist and punched it hard. Pieces of brick crumpled under the force. Ryan looked over at where Quil Jr. and Seth were standing. He avoided looking at Nate.

"I'm sorry," he said, before heading off in the opposite direction of where Gracie had run.

"I'm going to talk to him," I told Quil Sr.

Quil nodded before revealing his presence to Seth and his grandson, saying, "Probably best if you don't mention that to Sam. I'd hate for him to kill his future son-in-law."

I picked up Ryan's scent and followed it to the beach. I found him pacing frantically on the sand, ripping at his hair. I approached him cautiously.

"Ryan…you okay?"

"I hurt her…I _hurt_ her!" Ryan moaned. "How could I do that to her? All I've ever wanted to do was love and protect her and I made her bleed. What the fuck is wrong with me?"

Ryan yelled the last words, going over to one of the logs on the beach and kicking it. It went flying into the water.

"You were upset. I can understand where you're coming from. It's not easy being rejected by your imprint."

Ryan paused and looked at me as though he were seeing me for the first time.

"How'd you handle it?" Ryan asked before saying, "Oh, never mind…you slept around and then left La Push."

He paused and looked at the water.

"Maybe that's what I need to do…leave for awhile, I mean. I know Grace…she'll never forgive me for what I did tonight."

He looked at me with such tormented eyes it triggered painful memories of my own lost imprint. I brushed them aside and concentrated on the problem at hand.

"She's young still Ryan, give her time."

Ryan ran his hand through his hair again. "She needs space. I've hovered over her the past 8 months…ever since Nate phased for the first time. All I've managed to achieve is to push her away. Maybe if I go away she'll forget what I did tonight. Maybe she'll even miss me a little. I-I think going away might be best…for both of us."

I nodded slowly. "Where are you going to go?"

Ryan shrugged. He had a pinched look on his face.

"D.C. I think. My dad works in the government. He told me he could get me a job whenever I wanted."

"Ryan…I know you're upset and so is Gracie, but trust me, leaving isn't as easy as you think it is. It's painfully empty to be away from your imprint."

"But you survived," Ryan replied.

"My imprint let me go," I said.

"So did mine," Ryan responded.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I heard what you said last night at Quil's party…about being able to see women. I can to. I've been able to ever since Gracie saw me phase the first time. I thought it was because of the strain between us…I-I didn't know it was because she didn't want me."

"She's scared and a hormonal teen. She doesn't know what she wants," I remarked.

"She does though. She wants Gabriel Black. They were dancing and laughing together. If Nate hadn't imprinted on Meena and distracted Gabe, she'd probably still be with him. Sh-she looked so happy. She doesn't want me near her anymore. I can feel it."

I went over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. I felt his pain as clearly as if it were my own.

"I'm sorry Ry that you have to go through this."

Ryan shrugged, "I need to tell Nate I'm leaving. Thanks for the talk."

"Sure," I replied.

I watched his dejected figure until he disappeared. Wolves really did need some type of warning before attending a wolf wedding. Nothing good ever came out of them with the exception of the wedding itself.

I made my way back to the reception. Quil and Claire had already left for their honeymoon by the time I got there. I began to feel restless so I said my goodbyes to my brothers and got back in my rental car. I knew where I wanted to be.

Picking up my cell phone, I hit speed dial and waited for her familiar voice.

"Hey Amy, I'm coming home."

* * *

_A/N – Early Imprint fans - I have an outtake to Quil's wedding that I had put in EI but later took out. Amy was originally going to be at the wedding, but I decided the less you knew about Embry's life the better. If you want to see it, I'll put it in my forum. Also, in case you're wondering, I haven't forgotten about Rebecca, but there are some things that need to happen to Embry first before you learn more about her._

_Okay, now I know I'm posting this on a Saturday and a holiday weekend for my fellow Americans, but people told me they'd still read and review if I posted today…sooo please review!_


	18. When Fate Comes A Knockin'

_A/N – Just to clear up any confusion on the previous chapter, the only two wolves to imprint at Quil's wedding were Nate and Devlin. Seth hasn't imprinted yet and probably won't until my next story about Sam's kids. Also, I posted the Early Imprint outtake in my forum. _

**Chapter 18 – When Fate Comes A Knockin'**

Fate's a funny thing sometimes. I had my life in Maine and was perfectly content with my lot in life. I blew off the conversation I'd had with Old Quil at Quil's wedding as the words of a superstitious old man. Contrary to what he said, I didn't need my former imprint. The past was well and truly in the past.

I was comfortable with my life. I didn't have anything to do with the pack or patrolling, and since Quil Sr. told me I was aging anyway, I stopped phasing entirely. I was officially a retired wolf.

So was Quil for that matter. He told Nate he was through right before he went on his honeymoon. And in the two years since Quil and Claire were married, he had stayed true to his word.

Quil was happy with his decision. A year after Quil and Claire were married, they had a little girl whom they named Kayley. When their daughter was only a few hours old, Brady imprinted on her. Collin was ecstatic. After all, he and Brady had both phased around the same time right before the Newborn War. Brady was his best friend and he wanted Brady to be a part of the imprint love fest that seemed so prevalent on the Rez. Quil, on the other hand, hadn't been as pleased that his brand new daughter had a soul mate already. Claire took it a lot better than Quil did, but Claire had also once been a young imprint herself.

For the most part, all the wolves seemed to be happy. Devlin took my advice and got Hanna's email address at the reception. They were now best friends. From what Quil had told me, Devlin had spent his summer vacation traveling across the country with Hanna, who was a prodigy of sorts when it came to the piano and was already playing concerts. Will Samson, our former pack brother and talent agent extraordinaire, was representing Hanna. He had promised Jared and Kim as well as Paul and Rachel, that both kids would be safe in his care. And after some hesitation and many reassurances, both sets of parents had let them go.

Of course there were a couple of exceptions to the happy train that the rest of the pack seemed to be riding. First was Ryan who followed through with his decision to leave La Push and Gracie behind. He went to D.C. and got his government job and even had a new girlfriend. But the few times I had talked to him, I could always pick up on his misery.

Then there was Nate. Jake and Ness had been all for moving back to La Push before Gabe and Nate almost killed each other at the reception. While they wanted to be close to Billy and Charlie as their relatives aged, their children were their top priority. Both boys hadn't been wolves for very long when they'd fought, so Ness and Jake decided to stay away for a couple of years until Nate and Gabe learned more control. Jake told me a couple of weeks ago though that they had finally decided to move back to Forks.

Their decision was helped by Sam Uley. Sam had shown up at the Cullens' house one day a few months ago and practically begged for the Blacks to move back home. Nate was barely surviving without Meena. Being an Alpha, his feelings were amplified and being without his imprint was a daily struggle. Sam was frantic for his son. He and Jake ended up getting into an argument over the whole situation which caused both to phase. Sam hadn't phased in years…from what I heard he was still in the dog house with Emily over that.

The whole situation could have been a lot worse if the Cullens hadn't been there. Sam and Jake still had a lot of leftover pent-up hostility towards each other from their youth. Their wolf side had taken over and they'd fought each other viscously. Gabe had had to plant images in both of their heads to distract them and as soon as they'd hesitated, they were forcibly separated by Jasper, Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle.

Jake grudgingly told me that while he hated to admit Sam was right, Meena wasn't doing that great without Nate either. Meena knew about imprinting because of the bond she could see between her parents. She had figured out on her own that Nate had imprinted on her at Quil's wedding. But while Meena was fascinated with Nate, she wasn't in love with him. She barely knew him. More importantly, she'd told her parents time and time again that she didn't want Gabe upset, which is why she didn't seek Nate out or contact him. Her twin wasn't just her brother, he was her best friend…her only friend. So the Blacks stayed away with Meena's encouragement. But that didn't mean Meena didn't feel the pull to her mate. While she had always been a quiet, shy girl, she had become practically mute as time went on.

Sam's visit ended up being impeccably timed. Jake and Ness had been in the middle of discussing if Gabe finally had enough control when Sam had shown up. His visit proved one definite fact. While Jake and Sam easily lost control around each other, Gabe didn't have the same problem. He didn't phase or react to Sam's presence, even as Sam and Jake fought. He'd remained calm. Ness and Jake were hoping it was a sign that Gabe had enough control to handle being near Nate. They had moved back so that the twins could start their senior year of high school in La Push. The kids were twelve now, though physically closer to around 18.

I had been saddened to learn that Jake was leaving. We had grown close again. He respected me enough to not bring up the issue of my former imprint, and I was grateful to him for that, though I sometimes wondered what was going on in her life. But I kept my curiosity to myself and we both had an unspoken agreement to not talk about Rebecca. He seemed to respect the decisions I had made in my life and even got along with Amy.

Amy had been completely star-struck when she met Jake the first time. Her hands had actually shaken. It was funny to see my professional, mature girlfriend get flustered like a teenager meeting their favorite celebrity. Ness had thought it was amusing as hell. Jake had just been embarrassed.

My relationship with Amy was as strong as ever though it wasn't perfect. I had proposed several months ago and Amy refused. She said we didn't need a piece of paper to tell us how committed we were to each other. But I still wanted it official…I wanted to be able to call her my wife. Her refusal fueled the continuous restless feeling I seemed to have ever since Quil's wedding.

I realized at the wedding how much I really missed being home. I enjoyed being able to hang out with my brothers, but I also missed La Push itself. I was homesick and it just seemed to get worse lately. Amy had mentioned a couple of times the idea of us moving there, but I wasn't sure if that was the best idea. While a part of me internally leapt with joy at the idea of going home, the bigger, more cautious part of me reminded me that home was where my hell always was. But I could feel La Push calling to me. I felt it as though someone had a hook around my body and was trying to drag me back.

I found it hard to concentrate. Even now, I was pacing around my office instead of doing paperwork, trying to alleviate some of the tension I was feeling. A sudden knock on the door was a welcomed distraction.

"Come in," I called out.

To my surprise, Ryan Spencer walked into my office. He looked like shit.

"Ryan, how's it going? What are you doing in Maine?"

Ryan sat down tiredly in the office chair and wearily rubbed his face.

"I needed to talk to someone. I-I heard Jake and his family moved back to La Push."

"Yeah, they moved back last week. They're living in the Cullens' old house in Forks."

"Gabe went with them then?" Ryan asked tentatively.

"Of course," I replied.

"You've hung out with him right?"

"Sure…sometimes."

"Has he ever mentioned Grace to you?" Ryan questioned.

Now I understood what the purpose of this visit was.

"No," I answered. "The Uleys weren't really a topic of discussion."

I watched as Ryan's shoulders slumped.

"What should I do?" Ryan asked. "I don't think I can do it anymore…it's too hard to stay away from her. I think about her all the time. Azra told me she's been acting out a lot lately…partying, getting drunk. She's only 16!"

"Maybe it's because whether she realizes it or not she needs you," I suggested.

Ryan shrugged, but I saw the hope in his eyes.

"Why are you working so hard to stay away?" I asked. "You can be near your imprint. Did Gracie actually come out and tell you to leave her alone?"

Ryan shook his head.

"Then go get her before she falls in love with someone else."

"What if she won't have anything to do with me?" Ryan asked pathetically.

"Oh for fuck's sake," I said impatiently. "Don't you think if I'd ever had a real chance to be with my imprint I wouldn't have grabbed it with both hands? Things didn't work out for me though. I wasn't supposed to end up with Rebecca. But you…you have a chance to be with your imprint and you're being too much of a pussy to take it."

I was behaving like a prick, but I needed to snap Ryan out of this self-pitying depression he had himself in.

Ryan stood up, shaking. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"I know that Gracie's a young girl whose life is spinning out of control because her other half is pouting like a bitch on the other side of the country. You know what? You're right, you should stay away. Gracie's going to need a man to take care of her not some boy."

"Fuck you Embry," Ryan said furiously. "Who the hell are you to judge me? You're so self-righteous. Before you left La Push, all people talked about was what a worthless drunk you were. You think just because you're a doctor now that you know all there is when it comes to fucked up imprints?"

The worthless comment stung a bit, but I pushed it aside.

"I know that you have an option I never had," I said. "Gracie's free. You shouldn't be in Washington D.C. dating some senator's daughter. You should be trying to show your imprint that there's someone out there who will man up and fight for her. But I can see your point too. Maybe she's just too much of a brat to be worth fighting for."

"Don't talk about Grace that way," Ryan snapped, his body starting to blur in his anger.

"Why not? You don't care anyway right?"

That calmed him as he straightened in shock.

"I never said I didn't care," Ryan whispered shakily.

"But you're not willing to fight for her?"

Ryan looked so lost that I finally took pity on him and grabbed his shoulder in comfort.

"Take a chance. You've tried living without her and you've even dated someone seriously. You still only want Gracie. There's no shame in that. I told you before you left La Push, living without your imprint is the hardest thing you can do. You just need to ask yourself one thing…are you in love with Gracie?"

Ryan sighed sadly.

"I don't know. I wasn't when I kissed her, but the kiss…for a brief second when she responded…I never felt anything like it before or since. And when she looked back at me, I didn't see her as that little girl I used to babysit."

"Quil's grandfather once told him that imprinting was like an onion," I said. "As your imprint gets older, a new layer is peeled off and you begin a new phase in your relationship. Maybe that night you began to see each other as more than best friends because it was the start of a new stage."

Ryan looked at me for a moment and then smiled, "Thanks for the tough love Em."

I smiled back, "Sometimes that's the most effective. Wolves can be such stubborn assholes."

"Speak for yourself. I'm the sweet wolf, remember?" Ryan joked.

I rolled my eyes and shoved him towards the door. "Would you get out of here?"

"Yeah, yeah…I'm going."

After Ryan left, I walked over to my office window and stared out at the parking lot. I rubbed my back subconsciously as the uneasy restless feeling began to worsen. My phone rang and I went to answer it.

"Embry, it's Quil," a deep voice said. What was this, contact-a-wolf day?

"Quil, hey, how are you?"

"I'm okay."

I could tell something was off by the somber tone I could hear in his voice.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"My grandfather…he's not doing too well. He's in the hospital right now."

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"He has cardiomyopathy," Quil said sadly.

"What's the prognosis?" I asked.

"He's had it for awhile…the only thing that can save him at this point is a heart transplant and given his age, he's not being considered as a candidate."

"I'm sorry Quil," I told him.

"Yeah, but he seems to be at peace with things. Well, actually there is one thing. He wants to talk to you."

"Me? Why?"

"I don't know, but he said he didn't want to talk to you over the phone and that it was really important."

Though I had just told Ryan to stop being a pussy, the idea of returning to La Push filled me with nervous dread. Something told me that this trip would change my life. Then again, could I really live with myself if I denied a dying man his last wish?

Sighing, I said, "I need to clear my schedule and talk to my girlfriend."

"Thanks Em," Quil said.

I let him know that I'd call him as soon as I knew when I could get there and disconnected the call. I called Amy next. My heart leapt as it always did when I heard her voice.

"Hey Amy, I think I'm going to need to head back to La Push. A family friend is sick…his outlook doesn't sound too good." I went on to explain the situation and what Quil Sr. meant to the tribe and to me.

"You know…" Amy said. "I'd like to come with you if you don't mind."

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"B, I know how important that place is to you. Ever since that wedding you attended, you've talked about it so much, I feel as though we practically live there. And since we've discussed moving there, maybe we could scope out some job possibilities."

"Well, we can talk more about that later," I said, reluctant to commit to moving back.

We made our plans and I booked our flight. I called Quil and let him know we'd be there the next day. Once we arrived in Washington, we headed straight to Port Angeles. As we drove, the familiar smells of home began to assail me. I felt myself relax from a tension I didn't even know I had.

"You look happy," Amy said, reaching over to run her fingers through the hair at the base of my head.

"I guess I miss this area more than I thought," I smiled at her, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it, holding it for the rest of the drive.

When we arrived in the city, we checked into our hotel before heading to the hospital. Amy went to talk to the administration. I went straight to where I was told Quil Sr. was. Quil Jr. was standing outside the hospital room when I arrived.

"Hey man, thanks for coming," Quil said giving me a hug.

"No problem," I told him. "Where's Claire?"

"She went to go get food for us. While you're in town, you'll have to see Kayley. She's getting so big. Claire's starting to talk about trying for another baby already."

"I'm sure you'll have fun trying," I said smiling.

"Yeah, it's a hardship, but somebody's got to do it," Quil joked before sobering.

He nodded towards the room, "He's in there. He's perked up since I told him you were coming."

I nodded and walked into the hospital room. I was taken aback by the sight of Quil Sr. He had always seemed larger than life to me. Now he was a mere shadow of what he'd once been. He was so thin it was painful to look at, and his formerly proud features were now drawn in exhaustion. He saw me though and I saw determination begin to burn brightly in his eyes.

"Embry, thanks for coming, my boy," he said in a tired tone. He waved me to the bed. "You're probably wondering why I asked you to come see me."

I nodded in response.

"Well, there are two things. One is your imprint situation…please let me finish," he said when I went to interrupt.

"I know your situation has been difficult for you, but you two were meant to be together. Hell, I knew it when you were kids. There's no denying chemistry and you two had it before you even hit puberty. I know you have a girlfriend, but if you get a chance with your imprint…don't throw it away."

I only stared at him and he finally chuckled in return.

"So stubborn," he muttered. "You've had a tough life Embry, but believe me…if you can ever be with Rebecca, you'll have the world in your hands."

I swallowed over the lump in my throat before saying, "What was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?

"I need to tell you about your father," Quil told me weakly. "I had promised to keep it a secret, but since it looks like I'm dying, I think I'm allowed to say my peace."

"It's okay. I already know who my father is," I assured him.

"How?" Quil asked in confusion. "No one knew."

"Well, I knew it had to either be Billy Black, Sam's dad, or…uh…your son. When I imprinted on Rebecca that eliminated Billy or Quil's dad…you know, since your family and Jake's are related."

"Why would you think they were your only choices to be your father?" Quil wondered.

I frowned at him before saying, "Because they're direct descendants of the last wolf pack."

"Well, what's that got to do with anything? Paul, Jared, Ryan…none of them or the other pack members are descendants and they still managed to phase."

"Yeah, but my mom isn't Quileute. My bloodline is weaker."

It'd made sense to us when I'd first phased. We had all assumed that I had to come from a powerful line of wolves to be a wolf myself considering my mom was from Makah. The strongest line would have come from the last wolf pack.

"Rafe Elwah's mom isn't Quileute either, yet Rafe still managed to phase," Quil replied.

I felt sheepish because I'd honestly forgotten that Rafe wasn't pure Quileute either.

"As long as a member of your family has the wolf gene in their blood, you have the potential of being a wolf," Old Quil added before saying, "Is that what you boys thought all these years…that you had to be a direct descendant of the last pack? Why didn't you ever ask?"

I felt my cheeks flush slightly, "I guess we were too embarrassed. I know Quil and Jake didn't want to ask their fathers if they'd been unfaithful to their moms."

I was feeling very confused. Had I believed all these years that Joshua Uley was my father and in actuality he wasn't?

"So…" I started to say, feeling as though I had suddenly been thrown in the middle of a maze and couldn't find my way out. "Joshua Uley isn't my father?"

"Of course not."

"Then who is?"

Quil looked me in the eyes and told me the last person I ever expected.

"Your father was Harry Clearwater."

_A/N – I need to thank two readers for helping spawn the idea of Embry's dad way back when I first had Embry imprint on Rebecca in Early Imprint. I want to give shout-outs to Ripe and Nicollette Knight. (Sorry, as much as I loved your ideas of making Quil Sr. the dad that would have made Rebecca and Embry cousins. But I agree that Joshua was way too obvious so I chose Harry.)_

_I can't wait to hear your responses on this one! I know a majority of you are wondering about Rebecca…let's just say I have a lot of information to cover in the next chapter. ;)_

_Also, if I hit 1000 reviews on this chapter I'm thinking of offering a bonus chapter…maybe Collin's POV of his dance with Amber or Ryan's POV of the kiss. Let me know which you'd prefer._


	19. Secrets & Lies

**Announcements**

**1) Bonus Chapter - Collin's POV of his dance with Amber**

For those of you who don't have me on your favorite author alert, I posted the bonus chapter of Collin's dance with Amber at Quil's wedding. It's a one-shot that you can find on my profile page called, "Tempted Imprint (Collin's POV)." Please check it out! (If you already have, I changed the title since I first posted it…I didn't like the original one I had). I think I've replied to everyone's responses so far. If I missed anyone, I really apologize.

**2) Nomination**

I received the following message from the administrator of the forum, _The Two Sides of Twilight:_

_Some days ago, we started a thread where we are nominating the best stories of 2009. To participate in the final poll you need to be nominated three times at least, and for now you have one nomination for "Best Imprint Story," "Best Embry Story," and "Best Drama," for Forbidden Imprint: Embry's Story. If you want to be one of the final nominees, you can tell your friends and readers to vote for you in any category we have. Here's the link to the thread:  
_

http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/topic/66481/20624122/1/#20645792

Thank you to xStarlitTwilightRosex for nominating me. If you'd like to continue to nominate Forbidden, please go to the link mentioned above. :)

**3) Fan Fic Referral**

If anyone is interested in reading an excellent, angst-ridden story about Ness, Jacob, and Nahuel, then I'd like to recommend one I've recently discovered called, "Natural Satellites & Shooting Stars" by Gemma H. It's _so_ good. Nahuel isn't your typical bad guy, which is so refreshing. This story keeps me on the edge of my seat!

http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5433582/1/Natural_Satellites_Shooting_Stars#

* * *

**Chapter 19 – Secrets & Lies**

Embry's POV

"Your father was Harry Clearwater."

"I'm sorry?" I said in a questioning tone, shock pummeling my body.

"Harry Clearwater was your father," Quil Sr. repeated.

"But…how?"

"You need me to explain the basics of baby making, my boy?" Quil laughed at his own joke.

"I think I've got that part…I mean…my mom and Harry barely knew each other," I replied, hardly able to fathom what he was telling me.

"Pull up a chair Embry, you look like you're about to pass out," Quil ordered and I quickly obeyed, grabbing a chair and placing it next to his hospital bed.

"Harry and Sue always seemed so happy…this doesn't make sense," I said.

"They were…don't think otherwise. Harry and Sue loved each other very much, but no marriage is perfect. Before you were born, Sue and Harry were having some martial problems. Sue ended up leaving Harry for a short time, moving back in with her parents and taking Leah with her. Leah was just a toddler at the time, but she was Harry's whole world…well, they both were. He was distraught without them. Around that time, your mom came down from Makah and moved in with some friends on the Rez. She needed a job and Harry gave her one at the _Clearwater Supply Store_. Harry turned to her to ease his pain over Sue leaving him. I don't think the affair lasted long, maybe a month. Your mom eventually demanded that Harry divorce Sue, which he refused to do. He was still in love with Sue, you see. Your mom didn't take that very well and she ended up leaving the Rez. A few months later, Sue and Harry reconciled and Sue and Leah moved back home."

"Did my mother ever tell Harry? About me, I mean?"

"Yes," Quil replied. "She came back to the Rez when she was eight months pregnant with you. She was scared. Her parents had refused to let her move back home and she didn't know where else to go. Harry was shocked. Your mom asked him again to leave Sue, but Sue had just found out she was pregnant with Seth, and she was having a hard time with the pregnancy. Harry refused to leave her. He wouldn't have left Sue anyway, even if she wasn't pregnant, and your mom knew that. So they made a deal. Kathy wouldn't expose the affair and Harry would pay child support. In return, your mom would stay on the Rez and raise you, allowing Harry to watch you grow up. She put in the condition though that Harry couldn't be a part of your life. He wasn't allowed to give any input into your upbringing. If he interfered, she'd tell Sue the truth and then take you away. She wanted to punish Harry for choosing Sue over her, I think. He could see you, but he couldn't have anything to do with you."

I shook my head in disbelief, "How long have you known about this?"

"Harry told Billy and me shortly after you were born. Since he couldn't be a part of your life, he asked us to look after you. Luckily you bonded rather easily with Jake and my grandson, so it was easy for us to include you in our lives. And we were happy to do it. You were always such a good kid."

"The trust fund…" I suddenly said. Growing up, my mom said we lived off a trust fund she'd received. It was why she didn't have to work a full time job when I was younger. "The trust fund was really Harry, right?"

"Yes," Quil answered. "We set it up through the tribe so it looked official and we made sure you had a house and clothing."

I thought back to a time right before I first started phasing. I remembered walking into the supply store and my mom and Harry had been arguing. There were a few times when I caught them doing that now that I thought about it.

"Did they ever resume their affair?"

"No."

"But they kept in contact. I mean, I remember seeing them talk a few times when I was younger. I never thought much of it at the time, but they'd seemed to always be fighting. I think I even asked my mom about it, but she said they were discussing her account with the store."

"That sounds like Kathy," Quil laughed without humor. "Right before you began to phase, you started to shoot up and outgrow your clothes faster than what was normal. After you became a wolf, you started keeping weird hours, eating all the time, and destroying everything you had to wear. Your mom was convinced you were on drugs. Anyway, Kathy began to ask Harry for more money. She said it was becoming financially difficult to raise you on what Harry was already giving her. But Harry was having his own issues at that point. The Cullens had moved back in the area, Sam had phased and imprinted on Emily breaking his daughter's heart, and then Emily ended up in the hospital when Sam hurt her. Harry loved Emily as a second daughter. It wasn't an easy time for him, and his health began to deteriorate. To top it all off, he had to watch you…his own son…begin to show the same characteristics as Sam, and he couldn't talk to you about it because of his deal with your mom."

"But…that was around the time Harry died," I whispered. "Did my mom's harassing Harry for money have anything to do with his heart attack?"

"Embry, I don't want you to look on your mom as a villain. She wasn't emotionally ready to have a kid when she did. Harry's heart attack was in large part due to too much stress in his life. Your mother certainly didn't help relieve his stress by pestering him for money, but when Leah and Seth both phased for the first time right in front of him, the shock was too much for him."

I got up from my chair and looked out the hospital room window. I couldn't register any of it. My life had become nothing but secrets and lies. I thought my mother loved me in her own way, but to not allow me to know my own father because she wanted to punish him…who did that?

And Harry! Harry tried so hard to be a good father to me in his own way. He made sure the Atearas and Blacks looked after me. He always gave me free stuff when I went to his store. But why couldn't he have given me the slightest clue? While he was playing happy family with Sue, Leah, and Seth, had he even thought about me?

"Do Sue, Leah, and Seth know?" I asked, though I seriously doubted Seth or Leah knew. What fucking irony that Leah used to taunt the pack with questions about who my father was and the whole time it was her own dad.

"Sue knows…she found out a few years after Harry died. She was going through some old bank books of Harry's and saw some weird transactions. As an Elder she knew there wasn't a special trust fund set up and she pretty much figured it out from there."

I never had a lot to do with Sue. She had always been kind of distant, but it would certainly explain her behavior at Quil's wedding a couple of years ago. She had acted coldly towards me, but I'd thought it was because of my past behavior. Now I understood. Who wanted to see evidence of their husband's infidelity, especially when said evidence was viewed as a womanizer himself?

"Is that why Sue moved on so easily with Charlie?" I asked. "Because of what Harry did? Or did she cheat on him too?"

"No," Quil Sr. responded. "Sue loved Harry and was faithful to him until the day he died. I think she loved him too much actually. At the end, they were extremely close. Sometimes when you have a good marriage and a partner dies, you try to replace that love as quickly as possible so you don't have to miss it. But Sue didn't rush into anything. For a long time she and Charlie were just friends who dated casually. After she found out about Harry's affair, she was able to let him go. She and Charlie married soon after that."

When I didn't say anything, Quil asked, "Are you all right?"

"Not really," I said, walking back towards the bed. "Why couldn't he tell me when I was older? Given me a clue or something? I wouldn't have told anyone."

"Embry, your father loved you. He knew that you were happy and looked after. I don't think he wanted to disrupt your life. And honestly, I think he was worried that he'd lose Sue. If he would have told her about the affair, she would have left him and I don't think he could have handled that. But it wasn't an easy decision. The guilt was another reason his heart was in such poor condition. He had a lot of burdens to bear."

I shook my head and tried to force myself to understand. What would I have done in that situation? Rebecca flashed briefly in my mind, and as usual, I forced myself to think about something else.

Looking at old Quil's tired features, I said, "This is a lot to digest."

Old Quil reached out his feeble hand and I grabbed it.

"Like I told you back at Quil's wedding, I know your father's got to be full of pride for how you've turned out. He always admired you, but I know wherever he is right now, he's smiling down on you."

I squeezed Quil's hand gently before letting it go. "Thank you Quil…for telling me everything."

"You deserved to know," Quil replied weakly. "I hope this gives you some answers you've always seemed to be looking for."

I nodded and walked out of the hospital room and went into the waiting room. Quil and Claire were sitting on the couch together. Amy was sitting in the chair next to them.

"So you have a baby?" I heard Amy ask.

"Our daughter Kayley. She 16-months-old and perfect," Quil bragged.

"Is she at home?" Amy wondered.

"Yeah, Quil didn't want to bring her to the hospital because there are too many sick people around," Claire said, rolling her eyes. "He's very protective of his little girl. We have a really good babysitter though. He's even more protective of Kay than Quil is."

"He?" Amy asked.

"Our friend Brady."

"Oh…" Amy said, trying to hide her confusion. "That's sweet. Most teenage boys don't like to babysit."

Quil snorted. "Brady's not a teen. He's an unofficial part of the family."

"I see," Amy said, trying to hide her befuddlement with a smile. How did you explain adult males hanging out with little girls without making them sound like perverts?

"Amy," I called out. She got out of her chair and walked over to me excitedly.

"Guess what?" Amy said. "I talked to the administration about possibly transferring to this hospital. They talked to Pete and he gave us both stellar recommendations. We can both work here if we want."

"Pete?" I said, feeling slightly dazed.

"Pete…as in Pete Logan, your former mentor who brought you to Africa," Amy replied dryly.

"Oh…right…"

"B, are you okay?" Amy asked, instantly concerned.

"I…I need to go do something…can you get back to the hotel without me?"

"Sure," Amy answered. "Are you all right though? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Yeah," I replied, bending down to kiss her softly on the lips before pulling away. "I just need to take care of something. Go ahead and take the car. I won't need it."

"Okay then," Amy responded. I gave her another quick kiss and told Quil and Claire I'd see them later.

I ran outside of the hospital and headed straight to the woods, stripping off my clothes as soon as I was out of sight. I stood still for a moment and let the anger I had been holding in explode. Though I hadn't phased in over a year, it took me all of two seconds to change into my wolf form. I picked up my clothes with my teeth since I didn't have anything to tie them to my leg and I ran. I ran faster than I had in a long time. It felt strange, almost foreign, being in this form again, but it was also exhilarating.

It took me just over an hour to reach Seattle. As soon as I hit the city border, I changed back into human form and put my clothes back on. I made my way quickly to my mom's house and knocked on the front door. My half-sister answered it.

"Embry?" She said in surprise.

"Hey Kayla Marie, you've gotten bigger since I last saw you," I replied.

She ran to me and wrapped her arms around my waist giving me a fierce hug.

"Well, you haven't seen me in a few years," Kayla Marie laughed. "I'm 18 now, you know."

"Mom said you started college," I said, pulling back to look at her. She was petite, only 5'2, with long black hair and hazel green eyes.

"Yeah, I started a couple of weeks ago. It's so different than high school, but I'm loving it already."

"Do you know what you're going to major in?" I asked.

"Probably physical therapy," she replied. I smiled at that. We didn't have much in common, but it touched me that she decided to go into a medical profession like me.

"Listen, is mom home?" I questioned.

"Sure, she's in the conservatory," Kayla Marie responded. I gave her another quick hug and went to find our mother.

She was in the middle of watering some plants when I walked in the room.

"Embry, this is a surprise," my mother responded, setting down her watering can and walking towards me. I took a step back.

"I need to ask you something and I want the truth for once," I ordered and watched as my mom's eyebrows snapped together.

"What is it?"

"Is Harry Clearwater my father?" I demanded.

"What?" She tried to ask innocently, but her hand went nervously to her throat.

"Give me a straight answer. Yes or no?"

"Darling, I don't know where you heard this nonsense but--"

"Enough with the bullshit!" I yelled. "For once in your fucking life, tell me the truth."

"I did not raise my son to talk to me this way," my mother responded angrily.

"No, the life lessons you liked to teach were how to excel at lying," I sneered, walking further into the room to stare out the window as I tried to control my temper.

"Who told you about Harry?" My mother finally asked, her question a confession.

"Does it matter? Sue Clearwater has known the truth for years, so you have no one to blackmail anymore."

"Do you even want to hear my side of things?"

"What could you possibly say to defend yourself?" I asked. "You had an affair with a married man. You gave birth and told my father that he could have nothing to do with me. You forbade him to tell me the truth, or you'd tell his wife everything. I had a brother and sister all these years, and I never even knew it! I could have had a family."

"You have a family," my mother replied. "You didn't need the Clearwaters. You had me, Frank, and Kayla Marie. You were the one who chose not to have anything to do with us."

"No, _you_ didn't want anything to do with me," I snapped, pissed that she would turn this around and make herself the victim. "Remember, I'm the bastard child…your dirty little secret that you're too ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed of you," my mother whispered. "I'm so proud of you. No mother could be prouder."

Her hand reached out for me but then dropped back down to her side when I stiffened in rejection.

"When I met Harry," my mother began, "I was 18, fresh out of high school and looking for a new adventure. I left home and moved in with my best friend and her boyfriend in La Push. Harry offered me a job at his supply store. He was older than me…handsome. I thought he was perfect, but he was miserable. He and his wife were separated at the time. I fell in love with him. I thought he was returning my feelings, but when I asked for a stronger commitment, he said no and I left. It was about a month later that I found out I was pregnant."

My mom looked at me for a moment before casting her eyes to the floor and continuing, "I tried to find other work, but I couldn't find anything permanent. I lived with different friends, because my parents told me I couldn't return to live with them. I was scared and finally went back to ask Harry for help. He and his wife had reconciled at that point, and I knew that we had absolutely no chance, but he said he'd pay child support if I agreed to raise you on the Rez. Since I knew he wouldn't leave Sue, I told him I'd stay, but he was to have nothing to do with you."

She looked at me with pleading eyes then, "I swear Embry, I thought I was doing what was best for you. How was it fair to you to have a father who would've ended up having to sneak around to see you? He couldn't make you a part of his life without jeopardizing what he had with Sue. Besides, Sue had gotten pregnant right after they got back together and she was having a rough time with it. Harry couldn't do anything to upset her by announcing he'd gotten me pregnant while she was away from him. She would have lost her baby. It was best for all of us to remain out of each other's lives."

"And later? Did you or did you not bug him for more money?" I asked.

"I did," my mother responded, raising her chin. "I thought there was something wrong with you. You grew so fast when you were around 16. It was unnatural how tall you got in such a short period of time. And then you started acting so funny…sneaking out all the time. I thought either you were on drugs or needed professional help. I had wanted Harry to help pay for that."

"Must have sucked when he died and the money dried up, huh?" I mocked.

My mother stood up angrily and walked straight up to me.

"Now you listen to me, Embry Mason Call, I might not have been the best mother in the world when it came to you, but I only ever thought of you. Yes, I wasn't around as much as I should have been when you were a teen, but your father asked me to allow you to spend time with the kids on the reservation, and since you seemed to enjoy their company, I went out and had my life too. But don't you dare come in here and tell me I didn't care for you. I might have made mistakes, but I've never once felt one hint of embarrassment that you were my son. If anyone ever asks me, I brag about you and all that you've accomplished. Maybe if you took a moment to call me once in awhile, instead of me always having to call you, you'd understand that! You're my pride and joy. You and I might not be close, but don't you ever think I don't love you. I've only ever done what I thought was best for you!"

"All right," I finally said stiffly.

"So…where do we go from here?" My mother asked after an awkward pause.

"I'm not sure…I mean, what if I'd asked Leah out or something when we were younger?"

"Pfft…you and Leah Clearwater? Never would have happened," my mother joked lamely.

I almost smiled back, but I was still too pissed and not ready to forgive her. I didn't know if I'd _ever_ be able to forgive her for what she did.

I only knew one thing for sure at this point. It had been a hell of a day. I just wanted to get back to my hotel, Amy, and then crash for the night.

"I better head out," I told her.

"All right," my mother said, reaching over hesitantly before hugging me tightly. "Don't be a stranger, okay? Kayla really looks up to her big brother, whether you know it or not."

"Sure," I returned, pulling myself out of her embrace before heading back for Port Angeles.

When I reached the hotel, I found Amy lying on the bed reading a cheesy, romance novel. The woman had the IQ of a genius, but read the most trivial books.

"So what was that about earlier?" Amy asked, referring to my strange behavior.

I sat down on the bed next to her and told her everything, with the exception of traveling to Seattle to see my mom. I couldn't explain getting to that city in an hour when a typical drive took over four hours from Port Angeles.

"Wow," Amy said when I finished. "So how are you feeling about everything?"

"Really stunned and slightly freaked out."

"I can certainly understand why," Amy responded. She held my hand for a minute.

I remembered something she said earlier, "So you talked to Pete and the hospital's administration today?"

"Yes, if you'd like, we can both be transferred to the hospital here in Port Angeles."

"I don't know if coming back here is a great idea," I told her honestly.

"Embry, what is your deal with this place? You protest it every time I mention moving to this area, but you should see yourself. Even with everything you found out today, there's something so relaxed about your face…almost as though a burden has been lifted off of you. You've looked like that ever since we got here. And I _really_ like it here. I hope you'll consider moving back to the area.

And after a good night's sleep, I agreed to it. For one thing, I wanted to make Amy happy. For another thing, I could honestly say I wanted to move back. I had a tentative olive branch extended to me by my mother. She wanted me to form a relationship with her and her family. And as an added bonus, I could hang out with Seth whenever I wanted. I didn't tell him or Leah what I knew. I didn't want to hurt them by letting them know of Harry's unfaithfulness. But I wanted to form a deeper bond with them. Since Leah and her family now lived in Oregon, I concentrated on bettering my relationship with Seth.

A few weeks after we moved back to the area, I came home from working at the hospital. I was exhausted and to top it off, I had lost a patient. He was young. He'd just turned 16 and had his whole life ahead of him, but he'd been injured in a fire and I hadn't been able to save him. I had to tell his devastated family right before I left for the day. Nothing was worse than having to tell someone their child was dead.

As I pulled into my apartment complex, I noticed Paul Wakeh waiting in the parking lot. I hadn't talked much to Paul or Rachel since I moved back to the area. I'd mostly hung out with Seth and Quil. Amy loved both guys and got along well with everyone so far. Emily Uley had recently called and offered to have a girl's weekend with Amy and Claire. I knew my pack family didn't understand my relationship with Amy, but they still tried to help her fit in and I was grateful.

"Hey Paul," I said tiredly as I got wearily out of my car.

"I've been waiting half the day for you. I have some news I thought you'd like to hear about Becks."

Something inside me snapped and I yelled, "What is with everyone and their obsession with this imprint? I don't even feel it! Do I have to write it in blood to get that point across? What do I need to do to make you understand that I don't give a shit about her?"

"Fine," Paul said angrily, throwing his hands in the air in disgust and walking over to his car. He got in and slammed the door so hard the back window cracked.

Rolling down the window, he shouted out, "Just thought you'd like to know that Rebecca is getting a divorce. She and the kid are moving back to La Push."

And with a sadistic smile, he added, "have a nice day," before tearing out of the parking lot, his tires squealing as he went.

_**A/N – Please Review!**_


	20. Dinner Plans

_A/N – Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I've been really busy lately getting things ready for Christmas. I'm going to try to get another chapter up next week, but if I don't, I hope all of you have a great holiday!_

**Chapter 20 – Dinner Plans**

Embry's POV

Life's a funny thing sometimes. Just when you think you have things figured out, it throws something at you that you were never expecting. In the weeks following Paul's announcement that Rebecca was moving back to La Push, I felt like I was living with a time bomb and I was just waiting for it to go off. I was distracted, so much so that Amy stated the other day that maybe moving back to this area wasn't such a great idea.

The restlessness I felt was unreal. Though I lived and worked in Port Angeles, I always found myself staring west towards La Push. I knew she wasn't back in town yet, I would have heard from someone if she had. Anytime I ran into a pack member, they'd give me a knowing look. It made me want to punch them, so I found myself avoiding my brothers. Still I found myself drawn to La Push like a magnet, until one day I finally gave in and went. It was the first time I had been back on the Rez since I moved back to the area. And before I knew it, I found myself standing outside the _Clearwater's Supply Store. _

It was disturbing to me on so many levels to think this is where my mother and Harry Clearwater began their affair. Oh hell, what if I was created on the front counter or in the stock room? And yet, I still found myself standing outside the building, just staring at it. It was a part of my past. Maybe I was returning to my sadistic tendencies and felt some compulsion to return to the scene of the crime so to speak. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and entered.

It was exactly the same as when I was a kid. I almost expected to look over and see Harry standing behind the counter, his eyes lighting up as soon as he saw me. Instead, I looked over and saw Nate Uley staring back.

"Nate, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I work here after school for a few hours each day," Nate replied. "My dad thinks it'll build character…plus, he had to work when he was my age."

Nate didn't look good. In fact he looked entirely too thin. The Blacks had moved back to the area almost two months ago. Going by Nate's appearance, things weren't going that well for him and his imprint. Or if they were going well, and he was still recovering from the strain of being away from Meena for the past two years.

I heard a giggle in a hidden corner of the store followed by a heavy moan. Nate rolled his eyes and came around the counter and went down the aisle.

"Gracie, if you and your boyfriend want to mack all over each other, you're going to have to do it somewhere besides this store," Nate said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Whatever Nathaniel," Gracie suddenly appeared in my vision, pulling a young guy after her.

It was the first time I had seen Gracie since I returned. She was now the beauty she once promised to be, even with the nose ring she was sporting. The guy she was with looked a couple of years older than her and completely obnoxious. Too bad Ryan wasn't able to leave his job in Washington D.C. right away. He was committed to finishing a project he'd become involved in before he could move back to La Push. I hoped for his sake that he would get here soon. He was going to have his hands full. Gracie stopped when she saw me.

"Gracie, do you remember Embry Call?" Nate asked.

"Oh yeah, hey," Gracie nodded before dragging her boyfriend out of the store, not even waiting for a reply.

"I really wish Ryan would get back here," Nate grumbled. "I don't know what Gracie was thinking getting involved with Zack Murray."

When I looked at him questioningly, he replied. "Zack's in my class in school. He's a punk."

"I see," I said, before getting a closer look at the tired expression on Nate's face. "So how are things going for you and Meena?"

Nate merely shrugged before going over to one of the shelves to stock it. Before I could question him further, Sue Clearwater entered the room from the back area. She froze as soon as she saw me.

Giving me a quick assessing look, she turned to Nate, "Nathaniel, you can go for the day. I'll finish up."

"Sure," Nate said. He grabbed his school backpack from behind the counter and left. Sue turned back to me.

"Hello Embry, it's been a long time."

"Yeah," I replied awkwardly.

Sue sighed. "Look, I know what Quil Sr. told you. You know about Harry."

I nodded, inching my way towards the door. "I didn't mean to upset you by coming here…I'll leave."

"Embry," Sue called as I reached for the door handle. I paused and turned back towards her. She continued, "It wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for the circumstances of your birth anymore than I did. Yes, it still hurts knowing that Harry cheated on me while we were married, but I've learned to let go of the past. Charlie and my children helped me move on."

"But my presence makes you uncomfortable," I reminded her.

Sue came out from behind the counter and walked over to me.

"I'll admit that I haven't always viewed you favorably. You spent too much of your youth being drunk and womanizing. But…learning what you've made of your life…the fact that you finally used your brain and became something." Sue paused to briefly clasp my elbow. "You make all of us here very proud. _I'm _proud of you Embry."

I swallowed before saying in a low voice, "Thank you Sue."

Sue nodded before going behind the counter again.

"You're probably wondering if I plan on telling Leah or Seth now that you know," Sue continued. "I want to tell them someday…I-I just don't know how."

"I understand," I assured her. "You don't have to tell them. I won't say anything."

Sue pursed her lips. "I think I can already anticipate Leah's reaction. It's Seth that I'm worried about. He was so close to his dad. He, Harry, and Sam used to spend so much time together when Sam and Leah were dating. When Sam broke up with Leah to pursue Emily…it really broke Seth's heart. He had placed both Sam and Harry on such a high pedestal, and it really crushed him when he thought Sam had let Leah down. For me to tell him now that the only other man he really looked up to was also so incredibly flawed…I don't want to see that look of disappointment on his face again."

A car pulled up outside. Both of our heads turned towards the front entrance just as Seth walked in. Speak of the devil!

"Embry, hey! I was going to call you." Seth said, coming over to me to wrap an arm around my shoulder for a quick squeeze before releasing me. "A bunch of us are meeting for dinner on Saturday in Port Angeles to celebrate Devlin's 14th birthday. You want to come? Amy is more than welcome."

"I can't," I replied, quickly glancing at Sue before saying in a lower voice, "My mom and sister are coming to town to meet Amy. We're going to spend the day with them."

"No problem," Seth replied. "Your sister…have I ever met her before?"

"I don't think so. I've hardly hung out with her myself."

I secretly smiled at the idea of Seth meeting Kayla Marie. They were two of the most happy-go-lucky, carefree people you could ever meet. I'm sure if they met the world would burst into rainbows and sunbursts, bringing on a sugary apocalypse.

"Hmm…well, sorry you won't be there," Seth replied. We got caught up for a few minutes before I decided to leave.

When I got home, I cooked dinner for Amy and me. I felt terrible for our distance lately. She had moved not only from Africa to be with me, but also out to the state of Washington. I didn't care if Rebecca was going to be home or not, I wasn't going to lose Amy.

After I got the spaghetti on, I glanced at the clock. I knew her shift at the hospital was going to end soon so I quickly set the table and got some candles out. She needed a nice, relaxing romantic evening. Ten minutes later Amy walked tiredly through the door.

"Hey," I said, wrapping my arms around her before kissing her lips tenderly.

"Hey yourself," Amy said, leaning into me for a moment before pulling away. She looked over at the table. "What's this?"

"I made you my specialty…Ragu spaghetti." I smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"Wow, I hope you didn't hurt yourself opening the jar," Amy joked, before taking a seat at the table. I went over and served her before helping myself.

"So why the special treatment?" Amy asked as we ate.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I guess because I know I've been a little distracted lately and I realized I needed to make it up to you."

"You don't regret moving back here then?" She asked.

"No," I said, even as I could feel the pressure in my stomach increase.

"Good," Amy said, lifting up her wine glass. "To good decisions."

I touched my glass to hers before chugging down the rest of my wine. We talked about the hospital as we ate. I had the day off today, but would be on call for the rest of the week until Saturday when my mom and sister came into town. After we finished our meal, I got up and put our plates in the sink.

"You stay here and I'll run a bath," I told her, before going into the bathroom.

I filled the tub with warm water and added bubbles. As I was watching the water rise, I felt Amy wrap her arms around me. Turning, I saw that she was already naked. She wrapped her arms around my neck and stood on her toes to reach my mouth. I bent down and lifted her off her feet so that her body was resting against mine.

"I've missed you B," Amy whispered as her lips touched mine.

I opened her mouth with mine so that our tongues could dance together. She wrapped her legs around me, pressing her feminine center to my growing erection. Groaning, I broke away and set her on her feet.

"This is your night," I said sensually.

"I'll only get in that tub if you join me," Amy demanded.

Needing no further invitation, I stripped my clothes off and sat down, letting the water lap around me. Amy put her hair up in a high bun before joining me, sitting between my legs with her back pressed to my chest. I began to massage her shoulders with my warm hands. Amy groaned in response tilting her head to the side slightly. I bent and sucked on her newly exposed neck. She arched slightly back, leaning further into me. I ran my hands down her shoulder blades before moving them forward to cup her breasts. My thumbs teased and taunted her erect nipples. Amy angled her head so that our lips could meet. She pulled my bottom lip between hers and sucked hard in pleasurable punishment. I retaliated by moving my one hand to her thigh while the other moved to the very center of her.

"Oh God, Embry," Amy moaned as I slipped a finger inside her, while teasing her sensitive bud with my thumb. I inserted another finger in her and began a slow erotic rhythm. Her hips began to move in time with what I was doing to her. I increased the pace until I felt her climax.

Amy sat back against me and tried to regain her strength. My member throbbed painfully against her body. As soon as she had the energy, Amy got out of the tub. She laid her robe on the floor before lying down, spreading her legs, and looking at me expectantly. I quickly got out of the tub and lay on top of her, entering her swiftly and beginning to thrust until we both reached a dizzying explosion.

The rest of the week flew by for me. With Amy and myself both on call, we hardly saw each other. Finally Saturday arrived. Kayla Marie and my mother got to town early. Kayla hit it off with Amy, but then again I had no doubts that she wouldn't. My mother was a little more reserved, though she was never impolite. Once when we had a private moment, my mother came over to me and touched my cheek.

"Are you sure you're happy?" She asked.

"Yes, of course I am," I replied.

"Okay…that's all I can wish for then." My mother smiled at me, but my good mood was somewhat spoiled after that conversation.

First off, I didn't like that my mother had any reservations about Amy. She had no idea how much I loved and respected Amy. Secondly, I had a persistent nagging on my spine that kept getting worse with every passing second.

We decided to go out to dinner before Kayla Marie and my mother had to head back home. They had a long drive ahead of them, so Amy and I decided to treat them to Port Angeles' fine dining before they left. I had a great time, basically because of my sister. She found humor in everything. I was sad to see her leave when we finished our meal. After I paid our bill, we headed out to the restaurant lobby.

"Don't be a stranger," I told Kayla Marie, reaching out to hug her.

"I won't," Kayla replied, hugging me tightly back before adding impishly, "Maybe I'll come back to visit and you can introduce me to one of your hot doctor friends. He can be my sugar daddy and help pay for school."

I laughed in response, "Yeah, I'll see what I can do for you."

I gave my mom a quick kiss on the cheek. They waved and went out the main entrance.

Turning to Amy, I said, "Ready?"

"I think I'll just step into the restro--"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off as a familiar group walked through the front door. The gathering consisted of Jacob, Ness, Gabe, Meena, Paul, Rachel and their sons Devlin and Sean, Kim and Jared Becknell and their daughters Hanna and Hayley, and Seth. While Devlin and Hanna hovered closely side by side as imprints do, it was Seth and Hayley's closeness that made me raise an eyebrow. Jared kept giving Seth dirty looks as Hayley clung to Seth's arm. When the hell did they happen? I knew that Seth wasn't interested in Hayley at Quil's wedding because she was only 15 at the time, but she was still only 17.

I quickly introduced Amy to the people she didn't know. They asked us to join them, but I let them know we had just finished eating. Seth kept rubbing the back of his neck and looking towards the main entrance. I also noticed that Rachel opened her mouth several times to say something to me, and she would either look at Amy and close it, or Paul would shush her with a sly look on his face. Amy excused herself to use the restroom, as the group was shown to their table.

I was staring at the glass cabinet of desserts on display when it happened. Like someone flipping on the "on" switch, I felt a sudden sharp tug on the base of my spine, almost as though someone had placed a large hook around me and was yanking on it, trying to pull me towards someone. The tug was so much stronger than the slight pulls I had felt over the years. Stiffening, I turned slowly towards the front entrance just as Rebecca walked through. She stopped as soon as she saw me.

I hadn't seen her in over seven years, but she was still the most breathtaking woman I had ever seen. I felt my eyes take in everything about her, memorizing the changes. Her hair was shorter, resting just past her shoulders. Her eyes were more lined than the last time I saw her, and yet she was even more beautiful than she was 10 years ago.

"Oh…" Rebecca said in surprise, her musical voice enveloping me. "Hello Embry."

"Hello Becks," I replied softly.

"I…I was hoping I'd run into you soon," Rebecca said, taking a step towards me. "I thought maybe we could meet for coffee sometime and get caught up. There are some things I'd like to talk to you about."

While a part of me wanted to say, hell yes, a larger part of me remembered our conversation so many years ago. In fact, I distinctly remembered her telling me to get out of her life…that I was nothing to her. The last time I had anything to do with this woman, she almost destroyed me.

I shrugged and said, "We don't really have anything to discuss."

"Em…"

"Hey B, why don't we go rent a movi--" Amy suddenly appeared next to my side, but stopped talking when she saw Rebecca standing a few feet away.

Only an idiot would miss the tension in the air, and Amy was one of the smartest people I knew. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her glancing from Rebecca to me. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't tear my eyes off Rebecca. I was filled with instant guilt when I realized I'd completely forgotten about Amy and even now couldn't acknowledge her. She turned her attention back to Rebecca.

"Are you still waiting for your table?" Amy asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry?" Rebecca questioned, glancing at Amy before looking back at me. Her eyes looked sad and…disappointed. I resisted a sudden urge to comfort her and instead wrapped my arm around Amy's waist.

"Amy, this is Rebecca, Rachel's twin," I explained.

"Oh," Amy smiled before sticking out her hand for Rebecca to shake. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Amy Jamison, Embry's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you too, I'm Rebecca Cleary," Rebecca responded, stepping close to us as I hadn't released Amy's waist. Her familiar lavender scent assailed me. The girls shook hands but Rebecca stepped away quickly.

Rebecca looked back at me, "I really would like to meet with you sometime Em."

It was the pleading I could hear in her voice that made me snap. I had begged at one time too. And she'd rejected me. I couldn't allow myself to put her in a position where she had power over me again.

"As I said, there's no point," I replied and with a nod of my head, I escorted Amy out the front entrance.

It was the strangest feeling. Even after the negativity of our encounter, I felt like everything inside me was waking up after a very long nap. My soul felt alive for the first time in seven years. We were in my car before Amy finally spoke.

"What the hell was that about?"

"What do you mean?" I tried to play dumb.

"Don't insult my intelligence please. There was something obviously between you two."

Sighing, I started the car. "It was a long time ago and it ended poorly."

"Embry, look at me," Amy demanded.

Turning in my seat, I faced Amy for the first time since I saw Rebecca and almost jumped back. Her once clear face was now out of focus to me. This couldn't be happening! I didn't want to go through this hell again.

"Is it over between you two?" Amy asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

Sighing, Amy leaned forward and brushed her lips to mine. My lips began to sting in pain. Her sweet familiar scent that had once comforted me suddenly became odorous. I knew it would happen. I knew the moment I laid eyes on Rebecca again. I felt as though I had imprinted all over again.

Quil Sr. was right. You can't break an imprint. The bond you have might go dormant for awhile until your imprint wants you in her life…but it's always there, waiting for its chance to rear its ugly head.

F-U-C-K!

* * *

_A/N – So the other day, I visited a forum and got into what I thought was an amicable debate with someone about who's the better fit for Jacob, Ness or Leah. LOL, it turned viscous. I've never been attacked as a person before simply for my theories. Honestly, I don't care what people read or write, as long as they're having fun, enjoying a story, and being creative. The conversation got me thinking though, which is why I decided to share the story. _

_It seems like the only Leah stories out there are Jacob/Leah, Embry/Leah, or Sam/Leah/Emily. I've only read two stories before where she isn't breaking up an imprint couple. I can understand the appeal of Callwater stories (though thanks to me making Embry and Leah brother and sister, it's hard for me to picture those two romantically, lol), but as a canon reader/writer, I'd like to read a good Leah story where the guys mentioned above aren't romantically involved. So if you know of any, please PM me. Also, Leah is a character I haven't explored a lot in my stories. A lot happened to her throughout my saga. In First Imprint, she caused her dad's heart attack and Sam imprinted on Emily; in Early Imprint, she met her husband; and we have yet to explore her reaction to Embry being her brother in this story. So my thoughts are this. If I decided to write Leah's story as a companion to my other stories (i.e. Leah's POV on everything), would you be interested in reading it? I thought I'd start from the beginning with her and Sam's breakup and end it with what I have planned for her in this story and Nate's. My vision of Leah isn't the super bitch that people tend to make her. I think she's sassy, and she hides her pain behind sarcasm, but I think she's vulnerable at times too. __**Let me know and please don't forget to review the chapter.**_


	21. Embry’s Epiphany

**Q&A**

**1) Are you going to write a story on Sam and Jacob's children?**

I'm still planning on writing a story about Nate/Meena/Gracie/Ryan/Gabe. I'll start it as soon as I'm done with Forbidden. If I decide to do a Leah story, I'll most likely start it while I'm writing the kids' story, but my main focus will be on the kids.

**2) Why does Amy call Embry "B?"**

"B" is short for Em**B**ry.

**3) Why do some people call Nate, "Nathaniel?"**

Nate's full name is Nathaniel Harrison Uley (Harrison is in honor of Harry Clearwater, though Harry's name was Henry…the same name as Leah's oldest son). Nathaniel prefers the shortened version of "Nate."

* * *

**Chapter 21 – Embry's Epiphany**

Embry's POV

Contrary to popular opinion, imprinted wolves have freewill. We can make choices. Case in point, legends always said that wolves couldn't hurt their imprints in any way. Quil recently told me of a time where he had gotten into a huge fight with Claire when she was a teen. He had even gone so far as to call her a whore. Of course, when he woke up the next day he felt like absolute shit…like he had the flu, meningitis, and pneumonia all rolled into one. But he was still able to hurt his imprint because that was his choice.

We're able to choose our own destiny. We can choose to resist our imprints if we want. We can hurt them just as badly as they can hurt us. However, it's _advised_ that we don't take this course of action.

And honestly, why would we want to? Why would we deliberately go out of our way to hurt the one person we were made for? Hurting our imprints was like hurting ourselves. Making our imprints happy made us happy. But isn't that normal whether you've imprinted or not? I mean, who wants to hurt the person they love? Unless you're a sadist and you hate the person you're in a relationship with, why wouldn't you want to make that special someone feel cherished? Imprinted love is no different than falling in love under normal circumstances. One of the few major differences is that we've been given a shortcut to finding our great love, while other people have to search for it.

I knew there were cynics out there when it came to anything "imprint-related." Collin used to be one. He never wanted to imprint. As soon as he met Lindsey though, he became another person. He became content…fulfilled in a way he never was before, all because of the power of imprinting. He was happy, and because of his love for Lindsey he became a better man, even under his current circumstances of being oddly drawn to Lindsey's friend Amber. Would he ever cheat on Lindsey? Hell no! A weaker man would, but Collin would never stray, which meant no one would ever get hurt from an affair. In fact, from what I could see of Collin's relationship with Lindsey since Quil's wedding, they were stronger than ever before.

Another former "anti-imprinter" was Jake. Jacob had once voiced concern that "freewill" was taken away when you imprint. But after he became imprinted himself, he realized that it was _his will_ to be with Ness. Why would he ever choose to be away from her? She and their children made him happier than he ever thought possible. I've never heard him or any of my other brothers say, "wow, my life sucks because I imprinted." Because it wasn't true. They weren't miserable, just the opposite in fact. They would have ended up with who they did whether they imprinted or not. I have no doubt in my mind that if Quil hadn't imprinted on Claire when she was a kid, they would have ended up together anyway as soon as she became an adult. Because they were perfect for each other.

Hell, even Leah had finally gotten to a point in her life where she could see some of the positives of imprinting. I don't think she'll ever forget the pain of the past, but the happiest Leah has ever felt in her life was when she met and married her husband Dylan. She never imprinted on him, but she found a joy with him that she never had with Sam. It took her awhile to realize that she and Sam would have eventually fizzled out. Once she understood that, she had been able to accept Dylan in her life. And he gave her two things she wanted most; a love that was entirely for her and their children.

And then there was me.

I was currently laying in bed staring at the ceiling trying to figure out my life. Amy lay on the other side of the mattress as far from me as she could. There was nothing new in that. She wasn't my other half. She could tolerate the heat of my body for only short periods of time. Most women I had been with had been uncomfortable because of the heat my body exuded. I had even had a couple of women faint on me before. Only Rebecca had been able to handle my body temperature for an extended period of time. Because she was made for me.

But that didn't change things for me. Even though I recently had an epiphany and realized that imprinting wasn't an evil curse, I still chose to resist my other half. I never once sought Rebecca out since seeing her again. I felt the pull to her. It was like a siren's call, constantly taunting me. So many times I wanted to give in and find her, even if it was just for a small glimpse. She had once more become a drug to me, completely addicting and painfully hard to live without. I resisted for two reasons.

One reason was Amy. I loved her. Aside from the sexual side of our relationship, she was my friend. Though we hadn't been intimate in the week since I saw Rebecca again, my feelings hadn't changed because I re-imprinted. They say when you imprint, all your feelings to other people get severed and snipped away. I realized now that fact wasn't true. It's just that the feelings for our imprints are so powerful and strong, it overshadows all our other emotions, like the moon blocking out the sun during an eclipse. I knew that as much as I loved Amy, it wasn't one-tenth of what I had once felt for Rebecca.

Even before I imprinted, I had been deeply, utterly in love with Rebecca. She was a part of me…she owned a piece of my heart. She always had and she probably always would. If I'd never seen Rebecca again, I could have continued on with Amy for the rest of my life, but I would never have felt completely fulfilled. I would never have experienced, the profound, abiding love that Sam, Jake, Quil, and the others felt.

So why was I now avoiding Rebecca like the plague? Because I was _choosing_ to walk away. I couldn't find it in myself to let Rebecca back in my life. It was self-protection, pure and simple. It wasn't easy to stay away from her, but I resisted because I couldn't and wouldn't go through the hell she put me through again. She'd tried calling me a few times, but I'd refused to take her calls.

Still, there was something I realized during all my recent self-reflection. I did owe the imprint magic in my blood. As fucked up and painful as imprinting had been for me, I was thankful for it. I didn't understand how much I owed until after I ran into Rebecca again. It hit me one day while I was standing in the shower. I would be nothing if it weren't for imprinting.

Before I imprinted I was lost. I'd lived half my life feeling as though I was nothing…the worthless bastard that would never amount to anything. I did a job that I didn't care about and drifted through life without ever living it. It was because of imprinting that I got my education. I sought solace in school, and I was now a doctor and a damned good one at that. If I hadn't imprinted, I would never have reached my full potential and become the man I am today. Maybe it was on a subconscious level, but I had wanted to prove that I was worthy…worthy of _her_. And now, I was the pride of the reservation. Me! The bastard who had grown up feeling like an outsider no matter how hard my friends' families tried to include me. I now belonged. I had my mother and sister in my life, I was forming a deep relationship with Seth, and I had a job I loved. If I hadn't imprinted, I would've never realized how much I needed any of those things. So I couldn't say I regretted imprinting because I didn't.

But I couldn't forget the heartache it had caused me either. The fact that I was now the one in a relationship and Rebecca was the one seeking me out was not lost on me. I didn't think I should have to give Amy up though simply because of a case of blurriness and unappealing scent.

I turned my head and looked at Amy. My heart began to ache a little. I wish I could give her the love that she deserved. I had wanted us to have a happy ending so much. I was willing to turn my back on my soul mate for her. But what if her soul mate was out there? What if our being together was preventing her from finding true happiness?

I frowned at that thought just as the phone rang. Glancing at the clock I saw that it was only 6 am. Neither of us was on duty tonight. My stomach twisted when I saw it was the hospital. Did one of our patients pass away? Reaching over to grab it before the ring woke up Amy, I murmured a quick hello.

"Embry, it's Quil," his tired voice came through the receiver. "Sorry to call you so early."

I sat straight up, "It's no problem, what's up?"

"My grandfather passed away," Quil replied in a choked up voice.

Sadness weighed heavily on me, "I'm so sorry Quil."

"Yeah," Quil sighed. "Listen we're going to have a visitation tomorrow and then he'll be buried the following day."

"Okay…Amy and I are on duty tomorrow, but we'll be able to get an hour or so off. Let me know what time the visitation is. And if you need anything, please give me a call."

"Sure," Quil replied. "Thanks Em."

"Everything okay?" Amy asked as soon as I disconnected the call.

"Sorry for waking you up. Quil's grandfather died."

"Are you all right? I know you cared for him," Amy said, reaching over to squeeze my hand in comfort. I held onto it tightly.

"Yeah…" I said, allowing grief to infiltrate me. "He was like a grandfather to me. I'm really going to miss him."

I brought her hand to my lips and quickly kissed it, putting it down before I could react to the pain the gesture caused.

"I'm going to take a shower," I replied.

I felt Amy's eyes on my face, but I didn't look in her direction as I got out of bed and got dressed. The following day, Amy and I made an appearance at the funeral home in Forks. The first person I saw was Rebecca. Of course she would be there. Her dad and Quil Sr. were both Elders and friends for years.

I forced myself to look away and headed towards Quil and his family to pay my respects. Claire and Quil were talking to Quil's sister Kya and her husband. Brady was hovering nearby, holding Quil and Claire's daughter, Kayley. She looked a lot like Claire did when she was that age, except for the shape of her eyes. That she inherited from her dad. Kayley and Brady were lost in their own little world, making faces at each other. It was obvious to anyone that he adored his imprint.

I could feel Rebecca's eyes boring into the back of my head, but I resisted the urge to look in her direction. Instead I ran my hand up and down Amy's spine in a soothing gesture as I reminisced about Quil Sr. When I finally couldn't take it anymore, I glanced at Rebecca. She was sitting between Billy and Rachel. She looked miserable, her eyes lowered to the ground. I looked away just in time as I saw out of my eye her head pop up as she looked at me again. Amy and I lingered for only a short time before we headed back to the hospital.

The next day was hard, a lot harder than I expected. As a doctor you're trained to detach yourself from death. It's a part of the job. But saying goodbye to not only an Elder, but a man who'd made me a part of his family was tough. He was such a strong presence for so long. It was going to be hard not going to him for his counsel whenever we wanted.

Sam gave a moving eulogy. He would now be taking Quil's place as the third Elder. But it wouldn't be the same. Old Quil had a vast knowledge of Quileute legends and facts. Though he never was a wolf himself, he understood us better than we did ourselves. I felt that we had reached the end of an era in our tribal history.

We stood around the grave in the icy rain and paid our respects. And yet, even as I stood under a large umbrella with Amy close to my side, I kept finding my eyes drifting to Rebecca. She was standing on the other side of the coffin. Her eyes looked puffy, but I couldn't quite be sure if her misery stemmed from Quil Sr.'s death or not. I didn't want her to be unhappy…I just didn't want her in my life.

I looked to her side and noticed the absence of her child. It startled me to realize that I didn't even know whether she had a boy or girl. I'd never asked anyone and no one had ever volunteered the information to me. I could understand why she would want to keep the kid out of this weather. None of the children were here. But as I stared at her, I became more and more curious about the kid. The child would have to be over six by now. I wondered what he or she looked like. As I continued to stare, Rebecca looked up and met my eyes. Everyone and everything else faded away as we stared at each other.

I wondered what was going through her head. Did she ever miss me over the last seven years? Did she ever think about me? Had she felt the longing to see me as I had her? I had never been able to let her completely go. I knew that now. For years I would occasionally get an intense restless feeling. It had been the pull to my imprint, laying dormant inside me but always present.

I felt Amy shift closer to me and I broke eye contact with Rebecca, wrapping my arm protectively around Amy to give her added warmth. The service was soon over and the coffin lowered into the ground. I bent my head for a moment. The wind picked up and I could have sworn I heard Old Quil's last piece of advice whispering to me.

"_If you get a chance with your imprint…don't throw it away."_

But I wasn't the one who threw our relationship away. Then again…could I put all the blame of what happened solely on Rebecca? As hard as it was for me, I tried to think of the situation from her perspective.

Rebecca had only recently found out she was pregnant when I showed up in Hawaii that day. She was scared, hormonal, and about to be a mom for the first time. Furthermore, she and the kid's father had been together for years. How could she leave him? And let's face it. I could have handled everything better. She'd asked to be my friend, and I had fought against it and told her no. I'd wanted all or nothing. I had made her choose, and she chose what was safe.

Then again, she was the one who told me I was nothing! She didn't care enough to fight for me, even if all she wanted was friendship. Feeling my heart harden once more, I turned away from the grave and began to walk with Amy by my side. I knew Rebecca was walking ahead of me. Even if I didn't have my eyes attached to the back of her head like I currently did, I still would have known exactly where she was. I was drawn to her, nothing would ever change that.

Rebecca was talking to Rachel when she stepped funny and began to fall. I was by her side in a flash, holding onto her arm to make sure she didn't hurt herself. The idea of her getting physically hurt was unacceptable to me.

It was the first time I had touched her in seven years. I couldn't help but run my hand briefly down her arm in a caress before I let go. Even through the layers of clothes, feeling her again was intoxicating.

I could hear her heart beating frantically. Her rhythm matched my own. She leaned towards me subconsciously but refrained from touching me. A part of me wanted to pull her to me and never let go. I even started to raise my hands to do just that before I stopped myself. Instead, I broke the pull drawing me towards her and took a step back. Rebecca quickly regained her composure.

"Thanks Em," she said softly.

I nodded and turned away from her and headed back towards Amy. Amy was in focus again so I knew she hadn't missed anything that just had happened. Shit! I picked up her hand and entwined it with mine before giving it a reassuring squeeze. She smiled back at me but it was a sickly smile.

We didn't talk about what happened. We just went on with our lives like we always did. But I could feel an emotional distance from Amy that wasn't there before, not even after I saw Rebecca again. So it wasn't a surprise to me when I came home from work one evening about a week after the funeral to find Amy standing in our living room with suitcases by her feet.

"What's this?" I asked even though I already knew the answer. Amy's perfectly clear face was a give away.

"I'm going back to Africa."

"Why? I thought you liked it here," I replied. As much as my heart screamed for Rebecca, my head wasn't ready to let Amy go.

Amy sighed, "I wanted to move out here because I'd felt like we were growing apart. I was hoping we could find our way back to each other if we came here. But things haven't improved, they've gotten worse." "

"Maybe we just need some more time to settle," I suggested desperately but Amy shook her head in rejection.

"You know what's always attracted me to you?"

I shook my head at her question and she continued, "You're the strong, silent type, but I knew behind your silence you were hurting. Someone had hurt you horrendously. Maybe it was the doctor in me, but I wanted to fix you. So I made you a project and somewhere we fell in love with each other."

"You did fix me!" I rushed to her, grabbing both her hands in mine.

"Thank you for saying that," Amy said, pulling her hands away, "but I think my work here is done."

"Amy, I don't want you to leave."

"B, you and I have been together for awhile now, but I always knew something was missing in our relationship. That's why I didn't accept your proposal. I didn't realize what the problem was until I saw you with Rebecca. I knew it as soon as you introduced us. I always felt like you were holding something back…that you always seemed haunted. Now I know why. You love Rebecca…I'm guessing you've been in love with her for years."

"I love you," I insisted.

"I know you do…" Amy whispered, cupping the side of my face. "But you love her more. And we both deserve more than to just settle for a relationship which is what we've been doing."

She reached up and gently kissed my lips. Perhaps it was because we were both hurting or maybe it was because she was no longer a threat to the imprint bond, but her kiss didn't cause me physical pain.

"Please be happy B, you deserve it," Amy said softly.

"What about you?" I replied, my forehead now resting against hers.

"Pete asked me to come back to the hospital in Africa. I think I'm going to. Did you know that we were involved before I met you?"

I shook my head. As much as I didn't like it, I could picture Amy and Pete Logan, my old mentor, together.

"We broke up before you ever arrived on the scene. But…when I called him to give us a reference last month he asked me to rethink my decision to move out here with you. He told me he's still in love with me. We've talked a few times since then, and I've come to the realization that my feelings for him aren't gone. I'm going to go back to Africa to see what happens, if we can make it work this time. Maybe you and I can both have our happy endings."

"I'm not going to end up with Rebecca," I said adamantly. "There's too much water under the bridge."

Amy rolled her eyes. "B, don't be an idiot. Anyone with eyes can see the two of you are crazy about each other. From the gossip I've heard, she's single. Take a chance. And let me give you a piece of medical advice…I've repaired you. Even if she was the cause of your hurt before, I really believe in my heart that she's got to be the one to heal you."

She leaned in and kissed me. I clasped my hand to her neck and tilted her head so that she could receive my kiss more fully. It didn't hurt me to feel her tongue mesh with mine and Amy didn't become a smelly, demonic being.

I pulled away and whispered, "Stay with me tonight. I'll take you to the airport in the morning."

Amy nodded. I took her hand and led her to the bedroom. We spent the night saying our goodbyes to each other in the most basic way. Our coming together reflected our relationship. It was tender and compassionate and the act of true friends who cared deeply about each other.

When I woke up the next morning, Amy was gone. It truly was the end of an era.

_A/N – I'm going to try to get another chapter up on Thursday. Will most of you be around considering it's the eve of a holiday? **Let me know and please review.**_


	22. One Time Too Many

**Chapter 22 – One Time Too Many**

Embry's POV

I was sulking. There were no other words to describe it. I had been dumped and I was now mourning the loss of my relationship like the little bitch I'd become.

I missed Amy more than I ever thought possible. I missed talking to her about the job. Not a lot of people understood the pressures of being a doctor but she did. She had emailed me when she got back to Africa. Thank God Pete updated the technology at the hospital since we'd left. It sounded like she was settling back into her old life just fine. And though she didn't say much about Pete, reading between the lines, it seemed like things were getting back on track for those two. Good for freaking her!

I knew my feelings were unreasonable, and I really only wanted her happiness. But it didn't stop me from being depressed or missing her. When I wasn't at the hospital, I was at my apartment lying in my bed.

Amy's absence in my life was only a part of my problem. The other issue was that the nagging in my back to go see Rebecca was getting worse by the second. I sometimes questioned my sanity. Why was I resisting so hard? Sometimes in my crazier moments, I even thought about going to her and offering friendship at the very least, just so I could have her back in my life. But I always talked myself out of it. I couldn't risk putting myself out there for her again.

On the second weekend after Amy left, I didn't have to work so I decided to do nothing but mope. I was lying on my couch watching TV when there was a knock on my door. Sighing, I got up and opened it. On the other side were Quil, Brady, and Seth.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked. Quil answered with a smirk on his face.

"I called the hospital and they said you weren't on call this weekend. Claire's sister is getting married, so Claire took Kayley up to her parents' house in Makeh. They've decided to have a girl's weekend. And since Brady can't go a whole day without seeing my daughter," Quil looked disgustingly at Brady when he said this, "I've decided to force him to go camping with me, and Seth volunteered to go with us. We got to talking and decided to drag your unsocial ass out too."

"You want to go camping? In the fall?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's not like we have to worry about cold weather. Seth and Brady are still phasing, and even though it's been a couple of years since I last phased, my body hasn't returned to normal quite yet. We'll be fine. So what do you say?"

I looked at each one of their faces. Quil looked anxious. He would, being away from Claire. Brady looked miserable and Seth looked…well, he looked like Seth, all smiles. I had two choices. I could either stay here and feel sorry for myself, or I could get out of the apartment and spend time with the guys.

"Fine," I finally muttered. "Give me a minute to pack."

We hopped in Seth's truck and headed towards Oregon, which was the opposite direction of where Kayley and Claire were. When we finally reached our destination, Seth and I set up the large tent we were going to be using, while Quil unpacked the car. Brady paced back and forth, rubbing his neck and looking north.

"I'll be right back," Brady finally said. When Quil raised an eyebrow at him, he added, not quite meeting Quil's eyes, "I have to piss, all right?"

Quil nodded his head and Brady took off. We felt a shimmer in the air a few minutes later. With a slight smile on his face, Quil pulled out his phone and called Claire.

"Hey hun," Quil said in a sickeningly lovey-dovey tone. "Brady's on his way to see you. Will you tell him to pick up a package of hot dogs on his way back?"

I heard Claire laugh and they began to chat some more. I decided to get up and take a walk, not wanting to eavesdrop on a personal conversation. Seth followed me. We walked in silence for a few minutes before Seth spoke up.

"You okay man? You've been MIA the past couple of weeks."

I shrugged before stopping as we came to a small creek.

Sighing, I admitted, "Amy and I broke up."

"You wanna talk about it?" Seth asked.

"Not really," I responded.

But before I knew what I was doing, I told my brother everything about Amy. From the beginning of our relationship until our last parting words. Seth didn't say anything the whole time, just let me speak.

Finally after I finished he said, "Maybe it's for the best that Amy left. I mean…it kind of sounds like you were friends with benefits."

"It was more than that," I insisted. "I loved her."

"Oookay," he drawled out. "But you're still in love with Rebecca, aren't you?"

I picked up a rock and threw it down stream. "I don't know if I ever stopped loving her. It's hard to turn that off when you've been in love with a person most of your life."

"So what's stopping you from seeing her?" Seth asked. "I mean…she's single now and you're single."

I shook my head. "It's just…I don't know, it's hard to explain."

Seth shrugged. "I've got the time."

I felt my cheeks flush slightly before I admitted some of my shameful insecurities.

"I guess it's because I've been hurt too many times before. My mom and I were never close when I was growing up. For a long time, I thought I was an embarrassment to her. And I always felt like an outsider on the Rez. I hung out with Jake and Quil a lot, but I wasn't really a part of their families. So when I imprinted on Becks, I thought…here's my chance. I'll finally have someone to love who's supposed to love me back. I was naïve enough to think because we were destined to be together she'd forget all about her husband and run away with me. I even asked her to and she said no. When she told me she wouldn't leave Ian, something broke inside me. I didn't think I'd survive it, the pain was so extreme. And now…I just can't let her back in. I let her get closer to me than anyone before or since and it destroyed me. I can't go through it again."

"Did you two have something going on?" Seth asked.

"I don't want to get into that," I replied instantly. How stupid was it that I still wanted to protect her reputation?

Seth nodded. After a few minutes of silence, he said, "You know what's funny? You said you always felt like an outsider. When I first phased, you, Quil, and Jake were so tight, I used to envy you because I wanted to be a part of your group. It was one of the reasons I joined Jake's pack when he first broke away from Sam's. I figured you and Quil would eventually follow."

Seth smiled at me before continuing, "Whether you're blood related or not, you three are family. You always have been and you always will be."

I always knew that, but hearing it from an outside perspective helped take away some of the pain of my past. I smiled and changed the subject.

"So what's going on with you and Hayley Becknell?" I asked and watched Seth's face turn red.

"We're friends," he murmured.

"Friends with benefits?" I snickered.

"She's only 17," Seth reminded me.

"If I remember correctly, won't she be 18 in a few months?"

"Yeah well…maybe we should go check on Quil and the campsite."

I snorted but agreed. Quil was just finishing up his call with Claire when we returned. We sat around talking casually until dusk. Seth started a campfire, and Quil and I prepared the steaks and potatoes we brought with us. Brady showed up soon after the food was cooking, looking sheepish and carrying a bag of hot dogs. Quil rolled his eyes and got the rest of the food prepared.

We were sitting around the campfire when Brady spoke, "I'm sorry Quil. I know you wanted me to give Kayley some space, but I just had to see her. It hurts to be away from her."

Quil sighed and leaned back on the log he was sitting against.

"Brady, trust me, I know better than anyone what it's like to worry about your imprint, especially when she's Kayley's age. I'm not mad. I just hope you know that when Kayley gets older, if she wants space from you, we expect you to honor that."

"Of course," Brady agreed immediately. "I'd never go against her wishes if she didn't want me around."

"I know how hard it is to be away from the one person who can make you feel complete."

Quil looked at me when he said this.

"So…uh…how about those Seahawks?" Seth said. I had to laugh at his not-so-subtle effort to change the topic from "feelings" to "sports."

"How can you stand to be away from your imprint?" Brady asked me, ignoring Seth.

"Years of practice," I mumbled indifferently, all the while sitting there, trying to fight the urge to run to La Push and Rebecca.

"Isn't it hard?" Quil finally weighed in on the topic.

"Yeah, it's hard, but it's for the best."

"How can you resist her though?" Brady asked in confusion. "Kayley is like the sun to me. I'm constantly drawn to her warmth."

Quil coughed and Seth snickered. I was getting annoyed.

"Rebecca and I have had too much shit happen between us. She told me she didn't want me in her life. She was adamant about it," I insisted.

I got up and paced, grabbing my neck and rubbing it to relieve some of my tension. With every step I took, I could feel the nagging at the base of my spine. I kept looking north. Would it really hurt if I showed up at Billy's house and asked to see Rebecca? Then I thought back to her parting words in Hawaii. She didn't want me in her life…I was nothing to her. With those words echoing in my mind, I deliberately sat back down and ate another hot dog.

"Let me ask you one thing and then we'll drop it," Quil said, looking at Brady who nodded in agreement. Seth was busy staring at the fire, trying to pretend he wasn't there.

"Fine," I muttered.

"Did you ever tell her about being a wolf and imprinting?"

"No," I replied.

"Look man, I don't know what happened between you two. Jake once told me you looked like you had just climbed out of the pits of hell when you arrived out east all those years ago. Do you think maybe its possible Rebecca felt the same way? I mean…I know when I'm upset about something, Claire gets angry on my behalf whether I'm right or wrong. Maybe Becks told you to get out of her life because she was feeling confused. I bet you anything she was drawn to you and didn't understand why. On top of that, she was still married to that surfer at the time. I'm sure the guilt and confusion she most likely felt made her react poorly."

"So I should just forgive and forget?" I asked angrily.

"No. What I'm saying is that you should fight the battles worth fighting. If Rebecca means to you what Claire means to me, nothing on this Earth would stop me from fighting for her. Trust me…it's taken a lot of effort to get where I am with Claire now and it wasn't easy."

I didn't say anything and Quil thankfully changed the subject. When it got late, we decided to call it a night. I had trouble sleeping, going over everything that was said to me. We packed up early and headed back home. I spent my Sunday cleaning my house, getting rid of the remaining reminders I had of Amy.

Monday rolled around bright and early. I got up with extra energy, preparing myself for another busy day in the ER. As soon as I got to the hospital, I looked down at my schedule and came to a halt. As an ER doctor, I didn't typically take appointments. I would follow up on cases sometimes, but that was about the only extended contact I had with my patients. So I was more than a little surprised when I saw a noon appointment scheduled with _Rebecca Cleary_.

A part of me wanted to call her and tell her not to bother. Another part was doing back flips at the idea of being close to Rebecca again. The most sensible part of me though decided to hear her out. I was still determined to send her on her way, but maybe she would get whatever she had to say to me off her chest and then she'd leave me the hell alone. Images of her chest suddenly started to permeate my brain, and I forced myself to concentrate on the task at hand. I worked continuously throughout the morning, always aware of the clock getting closer to noon. I was looking at some patients' charts when a child was brought into the ER.

"Dr. Call," one of the nurses came up to me. "There's a young girl with a broken arm in bed seven."

I grabbed the chart she offered and went to the child.

"Hello Sarah," I said, looking down at the chart. "Can you tell me what happened to your arm?"

It was standard that we asked these questions without the presence of a parent first. It was the best way to detect if there was any child abuse going on in the home.

"I was playing in my cousin's treehouse and I fell," Sarah sniffed.

I rested my eyes on her long black hair before looking into her bright blue eyes, currently swimming with tears. The child was in pain, but she wasn't lying. I carefully examined her arm. It was obviously broken.

"Nicole," I looked at the nurse, "Can you please get the child's parent or whoever she came with? We need to send Sarah for an X-Ray."

"I came here with my mom," Sarah sniffed.

"You're being very brave," I assured her earning a teary smile in return. "So how old are you Sarah?"

I was trying to keep her calm as I carefully examined her shoulder and fingers for anymore damage.

"I'm six," Sarah replied before crying, "I want my mom."

"She's on her way," I assured her with a calming smile.

"Dr. Call," another nurse came up to me. "We have a hit-and-run victim that's just been brought in. He's been placed in bed four."

"Can you stay with Sarah until her mom gets here?" I asked. The nurse replied that she would.

I went to the different bed, pulling back the curtain blocking the patient from my view. I was surprised to see that the hit-and-run victim was a little boy. He had to be about six or seven. There was already a nurse working on the child, hooking up an IV and heart monitor. The poor kid's cries were heart-wrenching.

"Can you tell me your name?" I asked, but he was sobbing too much.

"Where's his chart?" I questioned.

"It's still in admissions," the nurse replied. She went over to the computer and entered some information. "Here it is…his name is Lucas."

"Lucas, can you hear me? I'm Dr. Call," I said leaning close to his face to examine the large bruise that was forming there. I looked at the nurse, "We'll need to do a cat scan."

"Luke." I heard a feeble whisper come from the bed area. I was relieved that he was coherent.

Turning, I looked back at the kid, "What was that?"

"My name…Luke," Luke replied, looking me in the eyes for the first time and I froze.

There was something…familiar about this kid. I stared at him, unable to move. What was it about him? I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair in comfort, something I never did. I knew with absolute certainty that I would do everything and anything possible to save this child.

"Okay Luke," I said, my voice filled with an emotion I didn't understand. Remaining professional, I flashed a small flashlight in his eyes and was relieved to see pupil response. "Can you tell me where you hurt?"

He pointed to where his spleen was. I leaned down and sniffed the area. The nurses and other doctors thought I was crazy when I first started doing this method in front of them. I'd explained that I had an overly developed sense of smell. While they mocked me when I first joined the staff, they soon were silenced when I was proven correct time and time again. I could tell that Luke's spleen was bleeding.

Leaning back, I looked at the nurse. "His spleen is ruptured. He's going to need to have it removed. I don't think he has any swelling or damage to the head. We'll do a cat scan anyway. Do we know if he's with a parent or guardian?"

Just as I said this, I heard a voice that sent a jolt ricocheting through my body.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where my son is?" Rebecca's frantic tone spoke loud and clear.

I flew to the computer and looked at the screen. The patient's name, Lucas Cleary, shined back. I turned just as Rebecca came around the curtained corner.

"Embry!" Rebecca stopped as soon as she saw me. The nurse excused herself to arrange an operating room for Luke.

"Rebecca…" I said in shock before turning to look down at her son.

The pain had gotten to be too much for him and he was now unconscious. Though the urgency to get him into the OR was pressing on me heavily, I couldn't help but take in his innocent features. No wonder the kid looked so familiar. He was the spitting image of his mother.

"This is your son?" I asked and she nodded, her eyes wide. I tried to remain focused and professional. "His spleen needs to be removed. He's going to need surgery. We'll need your permission."

I handed her a specialized pen and stepped out of the way so that she could sign the electronic permission form on the computer. Once she did, she turned back and looked at me with terrified eyes.

"He'll be okay Becks," I promised. "I won't let anything happen to him."

She nodded but didn't take her eyes off my face. I felt myself frown at her behavior. Her eyes broke from me to glance at her son before slowly returning to my face. My own eyes drifted from her to her son. From where I was now standing, I saw a different view of Luke's face. He was definitely Rebecca's miniature. And yet…

There was something else. Something in his jaw line…something in his brow…that made my hands start to tremble.

I saw Rebecca in her son's features.

What I didn't see was Ian Cleary.

My eyes went back to Rebecca. She was staring at me with the same frightened eyes. Her face had gone unnaturally pale.

"Is…is he my son?" I whispered painfully.

"Embry, I--"

"Is he?" I interrupted, furious heat beginning to rush up and down my spine.

Rebecca closed her eyes for a second before opening them again, tears now visible.

"Yes, he's your son."

I shook my head in denial. "You lied to me."

"I didn't lie. Embry, please let me explain--"

But I couldn't let her speak anymore because painful heat was exploding over my entire body making me shake even harder than I already was. If I didn't get out of here soon, I was going to phase in the middle of the emergency room. I grabbed the curtain and forced it back. Billy Black was on the other side, his face stunned at what he'd just overheard. I walked over quickly to my co-worker.

"I can't work on this patient. I just found out we're related."

"You okay Embry?" My co-worker asked.

"I need air," I replied and quickly fled down the hall.

I ran outdoors and headed to the nearby forest. How could she do it? How could she lie to me? Deny me my own son! He would have grown up just like I did! My son would've never known who his real father was.

As soon as I was far enough into the woods and out of sight, I threw off my lab coat, shoes, pants, and shirt. I didn't have time to take off my briefs or socks before I exploded.

I heard a gasp behind me and turned to see Rebecca staring at me in shock.

Fury and betrayal rippled through me and before I could stop myself…before I could even question my actions, I lunged…my teeth aimed directly at her lying, deceitful throat.

_A/N – Of course he was Embry's kid. As one of my readers said, you can't fight the supreme power of wolfie sperm. Rebecca didn't stand a chance. And before you ask…Rebecca wasn't lying. She honestly thought the kid was Ian's. On that note, I hope you have a safe and Merry Christmas (or a happy holiday if you celebrate something else.) :)_


	23. Mistake After Mistake

**Chapter 23 – Mistake After Mistake**

Rebecca's POV

"Is he my son?" Embry asked, his face filled with rage as his body trembled in suppressed anger.

Dammit! This wasn't how I wanted him to find out. I had practiced a speech in my head of exactly what I was going to say in this moment. I had years to practice it after all. But I had never gotten my chance. I closed my eyes tiredly, trying to fight back tears.

Taking a breath, I opened them again and admitted, "Yes, he's your son."

"You lied to me." Embry shook his head in disbelief. His shaking got worse as fury erupted across his beautiful features.

"I didn't lie," I said desperately. "Please Embry, let me explain--"

But he didn't listen. Instead, he threw back the curtain blocking my son from the view of the rest of the emergency room. My father's shocked face was on the other side. I'd have to deal with him later.

I hadn't told any of my family the truth. It wasn't that hard to keep what I knew to myself. I hardly saw my family the past seven years. I was pretty sure Rachel had guessed though, especially since Luke and I moved back to La Push. She kept saying things like, "Is there something you want to talk about?" But the only person I needed to tell the truth too was the man walking away from me right now.

I'd felt that I owed it to Embry to tell him before I told anyone else. I'd wanted to make sure he heard the truth from me and no one else. It wasn't exactly something I could tell him over the phone either. And there was so much to explain still. I watched as he spoke briefly to another doctor before heading down the hall.

"Dad, please stay with Luke," I begged before running after Embry.

"Wait Rebecca, don't go...his control…" My dad shouted, but I didn't listen.

I could barely catch up as I chased after Embry. He headed outside and went straight to the woods across the parking lot. By the time I reached the forest, all I could do was follow a trail of clothes. I stopped walking as I came upon the strangest sight I had ever witnessed.

Embry was standing in his briefs and socks, hunched over and shaking so hard he was blurring. I watched in horror as his skin ripped away from his body and silver fur emerged. I tried to scream, but the only sound that escaped was a raspy release of air. The large wolf now standing in front of me turned at the sound and met my eyes. With a viscous snarl, the wolf jumped at me.

"No!" I shouted, holding my hands out protectively in front of me.

The wolf fell to the ground, his nose pressed against the dirt. He looked like he was in some pain and I took a trembling step towards him without thinking. The wolf growled angrily which only made him sink even lower to the ground. Seconds later, I heard thundering feet and a large russet colored wolf appeared. He was even bigger than the silver wolf that I knew beyond a doubt was Embry. The larger wolf head-butted Em's side, sending him flying out of sight.

The russet wolf looked at me for a moment and something in his gaze made me freeze. There was something…familiar in his expression. The wolf snorted before taking off after Embry.

I felt something grab my hand causing me to jump. A strange sensation assailed me, almost as though I had been dunked under water without getting wet. Looking to see what was holding my hand, I saw the worried features of my niece, Meena, staring back at me.

"Dad told me to get you out of here," Meena said, pulling on my hand and leading me back to the edge of the woods.

"But…Embry--" I said, feeling completely confused and shocked by the events that had unfolded today.

"Don't worry, we're invisible right now. He can't see us even if he breaks Nate's alpha command," Meena assured me.

"Alpha command?" I asked shakily.

"Well, I think it was N-Nate," Meena murmured still holding my hand. Her cheeks were suddenly flushed. "Dad's not Embry's Alpha anymore. Technically Mr. Uley was, but since he retired, Nate would have inherited Embry. The way Embry dropped to the ground, he had to be under some kind of order. And thank God too…Embry wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he hurt you."

Meena shook her head as she said this last part. I felt like I was suddenly dropped in the middle of a Twilight Zone episode where everyone and everything was alien and speaking a language I didn't quite understand. I looked around me. Everything was slightly blurry. I tried to focus.

"Did you say we were invisible?"

"Mmhmm," Meena smiled at me before taking a closer look. "Hey, you aren't going to faint, are you?"

That was the last comment I heard before the world went black.

"Becks?"

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself staring at the ceiling of a hospital room. Turning my head, I felt a sickening wave of dizziness. Concentrating with all my might, I registered that my sister was in the room with me.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"Well, you passed out and Meena had to carry you into the hospital," Rachel replied.

"Meena carried me?"

"Yeah, she's freakishly strong. Do you remember anything that happened before you passed out?"

It dawned on me that my sister was furious about something.

"I remember…" The accident…Luke running across the street before I could stop him…a car slamming into him before taking off. "Luke!"

"He's okay," Rachel assured me. "He's already out of surgery and the doctor said things went really well. Aside from the spleen and a couple of cracked ribs, he should be okay in no time."

"Oh thank God," I murmured, staring at the ceiling again as I began to remember other things. Embry bursting into a wolf…

"Becks, how could you not tell me? Me of all people!" Rachel accused.

"What?" I asked in confusion still trying to collect my thoughts.

"About Embry being Luke's father!"

"Oh," I groaned, forcing myself to sit up. "Where's Embry? I need to talk to him…I need to explain…"

"He's still too upset. He hasn't been able to phase back yet," Rachel told me.

"Phase back?"

"Change back into human form," Rachel said in a lower voice.

"So it was real?"

"Yeah…dad said he'd explain everything as soon as you were up. But let's talk about you…why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you would have told Paul and Paul would have told Embry. I didn't want him to find out that way. I wanted to tell him."

"When did you find out?"

"Three years ago."

"But why didn't you say anything sooner?" My sister snapped.

"When I found out, Embry had disappeared to Africa. No one knew where he was and by the time he reappeared, I couldn't leave Ian…not then."

"The accident?" Rachel asked with sudden understanding and I nodded my head.

"As soon as I could get here Rach, believe me, I was on my way. And I've been trying ever since to tell Embry the truth, but he wouldn't speak to me. That's why Dad and I were in Port Angeles today with Luke. I had to resort to making an appointment to see Em because he'd refused all my calls."

I sighed tiredly before tears of worry and stress filled my eyes, "Everything always seems to work against us."

Rachel hugged me. "I know how tough these past few years have been for you Becks…I just wish you could have found a way to tell him earlier."

I sniffed as I hugged my twin back, "I wish I could have too. Believe me. I never wanted to hurt Embry…not for anything in the world."

"You love him still, don't you?" Rachel asked, pulling away so that she could look in my eyes.

"I never stopped…not once since I told him goodbye."

After I'd told Embry to leave me alone that day in Hawaii, I had fallen into such a dark depression, Ian eventually called my family for help. Rachel had flown out immediately to talk to me and I confessed everything…everything except the fact that I had slept with Embry. I told Rachel everything else though, including the fact that Embry had come out to Hawaii and begged me to run away with him. I also told her how I'd refused him.

It was ironic…the moment Embry walked away from me that day was the moment I realized I'd fallen deeply, undeniably in love with him. But I couldn't leave Ian because of the baby. Rachel had asked me to reconsider and find Embry, but I wouldn't.

I had wanted nothing more than to find Embry and give him my heart, but I knew what I needed to do was stay with Ian for my baby's sake. He needed to be raised by his father. I was so stupid…so incredibly naïve. I hadn't known that it was possible to bleed through a pregnancy. And I had paid for my stupidity and Ian paid right along with me.

"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked me now.

"Explain…if Embry will let me," I sighed. "And then…I guess I'll just take it one day at a time. I don't want to interfere with his life. He's got a girlfriend. H-He seems very happy."

I ignored the well deserved pain the thought of his girlfriend caused me and got slowly off the bed I was laying on. "I need to see my son."

"That's not all you need to do," Rachel muttered. "You still need to talk to dad."

I groaned…I really wasn't looking forward to that conversation. I still remembered the shocked expression on his face when he found out Embry was Luke's dad. And just like that, my memories began to swarm through my head…Meena saying we were invisible…the largest russet wolf staring at me with a familiar expression…and Embry… the large silver wolf with the two black spots on his back. There was so much I couldn't even begin to understand. But my only concern in that moment was seeing my son.

Rachel grabbed my hand and led me into the room Luke had been moved into. He had oxygen attached to his nose and he was heavily sedated. I watched the heart monitor for a few minutes and took comfort in its steadiness. Luke looked so pale, so fragile, it tore at my heart.

"My poor baby," I whispered tearfully.

I pushed back a lock of his black hair, before kissing his forehead. If I ever lost Luke, I wouldn't be able to live. I heard Rachel make a scoffing noise.

"What?" I asked.

"I feel kind of stupid, that's all. I mean…you were always so insistent that Ian was Luke's father, but the kid looks too much like you. I know it's not impossible for children to inherit one parent's coloring, but Luke doesn't have one drop of Ian in him. And now that I know he's Embry's...I can see it, especially in the jaw line. If I had only come out to see you more in Hawaii, especially when Luke got older, maybe today could have been avoided."

"Today was my fault…all of it," I replied. Swallowing over the lump in my throat, I added, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Rachel shrugged. "You had a lot to deal with these past few years. I understand."

"Rach, please," I went over and hugged my twin. "I should have told you."

"Yeah, you should of," Rachel sniffed in response. "But I get it…I do Becks. And a part of me agrees with you. Embry should have been the first to know."

I sighed as I went back to stroking Luke's hair. "There are a lot of things I should have done differently. I've really messed up."

"He'll forgive you," Rachel tried to reassure me, squeezing my shoulder.

"He won't," I replied.

I knew it with absolute certainly. Finding out that Luke was his son was the last straw for Embry. I saw it in his furious face. I closed my eyes and saw Embry's skin burst from his body right before the gigantic wolf emerged.

"Rach…what the hell happened this afternoon?" I asked with frightened eyes. "Embry…he...he was a wolf."

"I think I better explain."

I looked over and saw my dad sitting in the archway of the room's door. Ness, Meena, and Gabe were behind him.

"Jake still with Embry?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," my dad replied. "Embry's having trouble phasing back. What happened in the forest Becks?"

"I followed him and…"

"He became a wolf," my dad finished calmly.

I looked at my brother's family. None of them seemed startled by the news. I thought back to the russet wolf that had seemed so familiar to me.

"Is it possible?" I whispered before saying louder, "Are Jake and Embry wolves?"

"Shape-shifters to be more precise," my dad responded. He came into the room and rolled his wheelchair next to me. "You're lucky Jake was on his way into the hospital and saw you chasing after Embry. And you're even luckier that Nate was out on patrol…Becks, why don't you have a seat? I have a lot to tell you."

I did as I was instructed, sitting in the chair next to Luke's bed.

"Do you remember our legends?" My dad asked. "Do you remember the stories of how we're descendants of wolves?"

I nodded and my dad went into further detail. He explained that some of the kids on the reservation had transformed into wolves when "cold ones" moved near the reservation years ago. They told everyone who wasn't "in the know" that the kids suffered a "genetic condition," which is why they ran such high temperatures and didn't age. I shook my head as my father finished his tale. I thought of my family.

"So Paul and Devlin…" I wondered, looking at Rachel.

"Paul was a wolf, but he's retired," Rachel said. "Devlin is a wolf though."

"This is unbelievable," I muttered before looking at my brother's family. "What about you? Are you wolves too?"

"Meena and I aren't," Ness spoke up. "Gabriel is."

I looked at my nephew before looking at my niece. I knew they were technically 12, but they both looked closer to 18.

"So I guess it's the wolf blood that makes you look so much older than you are," I said, trying to understand.

"Err…not really, that comes from my side of the family," Ness responded. I looked at her in confusion.

"You see," Ness explained. "My parents are Bella and Edward Cullen."

"I thought Edward was your brother."

"No, he's my father," Ness responded simply.

"Bella? As in Bella who's a couple of years older than Jacob? The same Bella that Jake used to be in love with?"

"Ew gross," Meena muttered while Gabe snickered. Nessie's eyes narrowed. That probably wasn't the most tactful thing I could have said, but I was still reeling from shock.

"Well, that was a long time ago," Ness finally said. "But yes, that's the same Bella."

"But how is any of this possible?" I asked.

"My father's family…the Cullens…are vampires. My dad fell in love with my mom when she was in high school. After they graduated, they got married and my mom had me. The experience almost killed her and my dad changed her into a vampire to save her life."

"So you're part vampire?" I questioned. Were they bullshitting me? Was this punishment for what I did to Embry?

"Yes, I'm a half-breed," Ness responded calmly. "And both of my children have characteristics that are werewolf. Gabe can shape-shift into a wolf. Meena has finely tuned senses. And both have powers they inherited from my side. Gabe can get into people's heads like I can, and Meena can make herself invisible. She's a shield like her grandma."

"Okay, I don't get what you mean by shield, but explain the part about getting inside people's heads first."

Ness walked over to me and touched my cheek. Images of Jake transforming into a russet wolf popped inside my head. I saw Gabe follow his lead and phase into a wolf, redder in color. I saw Meena disappear before my eyes. Ness dropped her hand from my face and took a step back.

"You guys aren't just feeding me a line? This is all real," I confirmed in a shocked voice.

"It's real," my dad responded.

I got up from my chair and raced to the bed to stare down at my son.

"What about Luke? Will he be a wolf?" I asked my father.

"Under the right circumstances and given who his parents are, yes, there's a good chance he'll become a wolf. It's in your blood Becks, and it's certainly in Embry's."

I looked at my father and felt my cheeks flush.

"I should explain about Embry," I started to say, but my father held his hand up.

"What happened between you two was inevitable. I just wish you would have waited until after you were divorced."

I hung my head in shame before what he said registered in my head. "Why was it inevitable?"

My father shook his head. "You and Embry still have a lot to talk about."

Jake came in the room then. He immediately went to Ness's side and wrapped his arm around her waist. As long as I knew these two as a couple, it had always been like this. They were drawn to each other like magnets. I felt a slight pain of envy as I saw yet again how perfectly matched they were.

"How's Embry?" Ness asked.

"Still freaked out. Nate's with him right now," Jake murmured.

I noticed Meena shift uncomfortably. Gabe began to tremble in a way that made me hover protectively over Luke. Gabe saw that and closed his eyes. Seconds later the shaking stopped. He looked at his dad and smiled.

"So you used to have the hots for Grandma, huh?" Gabe smirked.

Jacob's eyes narrowed before he gathered Ness even closer to him. He smiled evilly at his son. "So what's this I hear about you and Gracie Uley?"

"Nothing," Gabe muttered, before excusing himself to check out the vending machines. Meena followed. Ness smacked Jacob's arm affectionately before trailing after her children. Jacob looked at me and the amusement quickly left his face.

"What the hell were you thinking Rebecca? How could you keep something like Luke's paternity away from Embry?"

I sighed, feeling depression and exhaustion begin to settle on my shoulders, "I wanted to tell him face to face but by the time I found out, he was in Africa. And then Ian had his accident and I wasn't able to leave Hawaii. It wasn't something I could just email Embry for Christ's sake."

"That's no excuse," Jacob said angrily. "You should have found a way to tell him."

"As I recall Jacob, I asked you for Embry's phone number a few years ago. And do you remember what you said? You told me I had done enough damage to him and to leave him the hell alone."

That conversation still stung. I had just found out the truth and had tried to get a hold of Embry. Jake had told me he was somewhere in Africa. He also told me to not bother Embry…that I had hurt him enough. I'd been so heart sick about everything, I never bothered to defend myself. Instead, I waited for Embry to come back. And when he finally did, I _had_ to stay with Ian.

"If you had just told me--" Jake started to say.

"Jacob, enough," our father interrupted. He looked at me with solemn eyes. "So is that why you and Ian separated a few years ago…because you found out that Embry was Luke's father?"

"Yes," I replied. Before I could say anything else, I heard a slight moan from the bed.

I reached for my son's hand just as his eyes fluttered open.

"Momma?" Luke said in a scared voice. I knew he was upset because he had recently stopped calling me Momma, switching to a more mature version of "Mom."

"Yeah baby, how do you feel?"

"I hurt," Luke cried, tears running down his cheeks. I hit the help button next to Luke's bed. Moments later a nurse came in with some pain medication.

"You won't leave?" Luke asked as his eyes drifted close.

"I'm not leaving your side for a minute, I promise," I assured him. Holding his hand tightly, I watched as my son fell back asleep.

All discussions stopped after that as I shifted all my focus and willpower on my son. I stayed in the room, refusing to leave Luke's side. Rachel and Ness went out and brought back lunch, but I couldn't swallow any food. My stomach was in knots. It had been such a horrible day and I was still struggling to comprehend the secret that my family had been keeping for so many years. Plus, I still had to face Embry. I didn't know what to think about the fact that he could burst into a monstrous sized dog. It was a genetic condition, so it's not like I should be freaked out by it. From everything I had learned today, the wolf pack had protected our tribe for years. There was nothing shameful in that. It was just…weird. I would be lying if I didn't say the idea freaked me out, especially when I remembered Embry lunging at me right before he hit the ground.

I was aware of the sky outside getting darker and Embry still didn't make an appearance. I kept jumping at every small sound. The police came in and told me they found the person who hit Luke. The boy was a teenager who'd panicked. I didn't care about any of it. I just needed my son to walk out of the hospital in perfect shape. My family drifted in and out of the room all day. I refused to leave Luke's side.

Jake finally came in and squeezed my shoulder, "You need to eat."

I shook my head and Jake sighed before waving to someone at the door. Meena came in carrying a paper bag and a soda pop.

"He'll be okay Aunt Rebecca…he's a Black," Meena said, pulling a sandwich out of the bag and handing it to Jacob. Jacob picked up my hand and forced the food into it. I began to eat unconsciously.

"That's true," Jake added. "We heal fast you know."

"Freaky wolf genes?" I asked and Jake nodded. That would explain why I'd always healed so fast. I only hoped it worked for my son.

After a couple of hours, I curled into the chair and drifted off to sleep. Someone put a blanket over me and I snuggled deeper into it. I was sound asleep when I felt something brush lightly across my cheek, almost like the back of someone's fingers. I jerked awake and looked around. Embry was on the other side of the bed from where I was. He was too far to have touched me…wasn't he? I blinked to make sure he wasn't part of some weird dream.

He continued to stare back at me with a solemn expression before he spoke softly.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about."

_A/N – In case you don't have me on your author's alert, I've posted the first chapter of my story about Leah. It's called "Absent Imprint: Leah's Story." I'm trying a different writing style for this story. Leah's literally telling you her story and how the different people influenced her life. I hope you'll check it out. I'm really excited for this story. Pay special attention to the prologue in the first chapter…it gives you some hints for what's to come in the kids' story. If you go to my profile page, you'll see it. And please leave a review. Oh, and let me know what you thought of Rebecca's POV in this chapter. ;)_


	24. Some Crazy Day

**Chapter 24 – Some Crazy Day**

Embry's POV

Guilt is a powerful emotion to have to deal with. Its destructive nature can make a man rethink his entire outlook on life. I, who had never committed violence against a woman in my entire life, could have murdered the woman who was my other half…the mother of my child. I saw the absolute terror in her pale face as I lunged for her. I don't think I'll ever forget how she looked. I don't know if I would have stopped either if her cry of "no" hadn't snapped me out of my moment of insanity. It was that single word that made me hesitate a second before Nate Uley's Alpha order sent me hurdling to the ground.

How would I have been able to live with myself if I'd succeeded in hurting her? It was that thought which tortured me throughout the rest of the day. Some of my anger towards her dissipated as the day went on. True she had kept me away from my son, but then again, I almost killed her. It was quite the paradox. I wanted to feel the justifiable anger I knew I was entitled to, but the shame of what I had almost done weighed heavily on me.

My guilt along with the pain of knowing I had a son, a son I didn't even know, kept me from phasing for a good portion of the day. Jake stayed with me for only a short time after pushing me away from Rebecca to get her out of danger. As Jake was no longer an Alpha, he was able to briefly transfer his allegiance to Nate, which allowed him to share my mind. As soon as he read the truth about Luke in my thoughts, he phased back and headed towards the hospital. I hadn't seen him again for the rest of the day.

Nate joined me right after Jacob left and tried to talk me down from the spastic state I was in. He wasn't much help though. His imprint was standing in the hospital a few hundred feet away. Every time he tried to tell me something, he would get distracted by the murmur of her voice or the sound of her heart beating. When the sky began to darken, he finally gave up talking to me entirely and found a comfortable place to lay down so he could keep watch over Meena.

As evening drifted into night, I was able to calm down enough that I could phase back to my human form. Grabbing the clothes I hadn't destroyed, I made my way back into the hospital. The first stop I was forced to make was to explain my absence to my superiors. I had left in the middle of a busy shift in the ER, and I was still technically a resident doctor. After receiving a sharp reprimand from the senior doctor on call, I made my way to the floor Luke had been moved to.

I started to walk by the waiting room and noticed most of the Black family was still there. Meena and Gabe were watching TV, while Jake and Nessie spoke quietly on the loveseat they were sitting on. Jake had his arm wrapped around Ness, their foreheads almost touching as they spoke softly to each other. Billy was sleeping in his wheelchair. Rachel sat nearby looking at a magazine. The only ones missing were Paul, Devlin, and Sean, but I guessed Paul had them at home. Rachel looked up as I walked by and got to her feet. I paused as she walked over to me.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Rachel asked, putting a hand on my arm.

I shrugged in response.

"Look, I know you have every right to be mad at Becks, but please just listen to her side of things. She's got a lot to tell you and I know how you get. I tried telling you about Rebecca before, but you're so stinking stubborn and would never listen."

"You knew about Luke?" I asked incredulously.

"No, I've barely seen Becks since she was last in La Push. I didn't know about Luke until today. But I tried telling you that Rebecca and Ian had separated when we were at Quil's wedding. You didn't want to listen."

"That was over two years ago," I snapped.

Rachel opened her mouth to say something before closing it again. "Like I said, Becks has a lot to explain to you."

"Fine, I'll be open-minded, okay?"

Rachel reached up and kissed my cheek. "I'm glad you're a part of our family now."

"I'm not--"

"You're Luke's dad…that makes you family." Rachel smiled at me and started to turn away. She paused and looked back at me. "Em…dad had to tell Becks about the wolf pack. She took it a little _too_ well. I think after seeing Luke get hit right in front of her, she's suffering from shock right now. Can you try to take it easy on her?"

"I'll try," I replied. Rachel gave me another smile and went back to her chair.

I headed towards Luke's room, following the pull I felt to Rebecca. I paused at the computer station outside and quickly opened up Luke's file. The surgery went well and all his vitals were normal. He should make a full recovery.

Happy with the prognosis, I made my way into the room and stopped. Rebecca was curled up in a chair with a blanket thrown over her. I made my way over to the bed and looked down at Luke. The doctor in me was pleased with his coloring. If it weren't for the fact that he was in a hospital bed with visible bruises on his body, I'd think he was just a normal, healthy little boy.

I couldn't stop myself from reaching up to run my fingers over Luke's soft, dark hair. I couldn't believe he was my son. I had wanted so badly to hear that he was mine at one time…I had even begged Rebecca to tell me it was so. And now that it was confirmed, all I could think about was how much time had been wasted and how much I'd missed out on. I never thought a child of mine would grow up like I did, without ever knowing who his father was. I took a swift breath to control my anger before glancing over at Rebecca.

She looked exhausted and yet so beautiful. I stared at the gentle curve of her cheek. Would I have marred it like Sam had his Emily? I moved without conscious thought around the bed to where Rebecca was sleeping. Bending slightly, I closed my eyes as I breathed in her never forgotten scent of lavender and vanilla.

God, how I'd missed this smell over the years. There were nights when I would wake up craving it. I reached out and brushed the back of my knuckles across her cheek feeling my heart lurch as I did so. It had been seven long years since I had touched her like this. Seven years of yearning for her. I never realized how much I'd missed her until this moment.

She began to stir and I quickly flew around the other side of the bed with inhuman speed. The last time she saw me, I had turned into a snarling wolf. I didn't want to get too close until I knew what her reaction would be. What if she was terrified of me? How would I cope with that? No matter what happened between us, I didn't want her to be afraid of me. She looked at me and blinked before freezing.

I stared at her for a moment before saying, "I guess we have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, I guess we do," Rebecca agreed, slowly getting out of her chair and moving to stand next to her son…our son. Would I ever get used to that?

She hesitated before saying awkwardly, "So…you're a wolf."

"So you had my child," I returned and instantly berated myself as her pale face filled with color.

The mere reminder of my son made me look back down at him, completely enthralled. He was the single most beautiful child I had ever seen. Maybe it was because he was mine, or maybe it was because he was a miniature of Rebecca, but to me he was amazing.

"Is he going to be okay?" Rebecca asked worriedly. It was enough to draw my attention away from Luke. The fear in her eyes made me want to double over in pain. Rebecca reached out and placed a hand over Luke's chest, feeling it rise up and down.

"Yeah, he's going to be fine," I responded and reached out to touch her hand reassuringly. Rebecca jumped at the contact and I immediately pulled my hand back, disappointment filling me.

"Sorry Em," Rebecca said when she noticed my withdrawal. "I'm just a little jumpy right now."

I could understand that. Seeing your kid get hit by a car, followed by witnessing someone phase into a gigantic wolf was enough to mess up anyone.

"What happened today with Luke?" I asked.

Rebecca shrugged nonchalantly, but her eyes looked haunted.

"Dad and I brought Luke to Port Angeles. I'd made an appointment to talk to you. I…I had wanted to tell you about Luke, because I couldn't get a hold of you by phone. We were walking down a street and Luke asked for a piece of gum. I looked down in my purse…I didn't even look away for a second when I felt him leave my side. He saw a park across the street and took off running. I tried to grab him, but he's so fast. He ran right in front of that car and h-he went flying across the road."

As Rebecca told me this, tears began to pour down her cheeks. I longed to comfort her, but after her last rejection I held back.

"It wasn't your fault," I insisted.

Rebecca shook her head. "I should have watched him more carefully."

"Becks, you can't keep your eyes on kids 24 hours a day. It was a terrible accident, but it was just that, an _accident_. Luke's going to be okay. I checked his chart before I came in here. Everything went really well with the surgery."

Rebecca gave me a wobbly smile but didn't meet my eyes.

"Thanks Em," she whispered.

I stared at her for a moment. I wanted to touch her so badly my insides were screaming for contact. The pull I always felt began to nudge me painfully, but I resisted, forcing myself to focus on the topic at hand.

"So you were in town to speak with me and Billy was with you. Did he know about Luke being my son?" I asked. The idea of any of the Blacks knowing about Luke and not telling me infuriated me.

"No," Rebecca responded immediately. "No one knew except…"

Rebecca stopped speaking and looked down at Luke with worried eyes. It was amazing how well I could read her even after all this time.

"He's heavily sedated," I said, answering the question I could see in her eyes. "He wouldn't hear anything even if a marching band came through the room. You were saying…"

Rebecca bit her lip nervously before continuing, "Ian knew."

So Ian knew he wasn't a father, but I wasn't informed that I was. I looked down at my son's features to try to keep calm.

"When did you find out exactly?"

"Three years ago."

I began to shake and shoved my hands in my lab coat to hide their trembling. But I didn't remove them from sight in time. Rebecca's eyes widened and she inched towards Luke protectively.

"I'm not going to hurt you or Luke," I spit out, before forcing myself to say in a calmer voice, "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier. I should have had better control, but it won't happen again."

Rebecca nodded but remained wary. The fact that she wasn't freaking out made me realize that perhaps Rachel was right. Rebecca was suffering from shock right now.

I continued to speak in a quiet, soothing tone, "So you knew three years ago. Why didn't you contact me?"

"I tried…" Rebecca whispered. "I tried as soon as I knew for sure, but you had disappeared to Africa. I'd asked Rach and Jake for your number, but neither of them had it."

I couldn't fault her there. The only one who'd had my contact information while I was overseas had been my mother. She and Jacob weren't in contact with each other, so he wouldn't have known where to begin looking for me. Perhaps if Rebecca had told Jake why she was trying to get a hold of me, Carlisle could have used his contacts in the medical community to locate me, but she'd never told anyone.

"Why didn't you tell Jake the reason you wanted to contact me?"

Rebecca sighed tiredly. "I didn't think it was right if you found out through someone else. I wanted to be the one to tell you, face to face, and I was afraid Jacob would say something to you before I got the chance."

"But three years?" I said angrily.

"Em…w-would you let me explain from the beginning?" Rebecca said with pleading eyes. I nodded slowly.

"When you came to Hawaii and asked me to run away with you, I told you no because I honestly thought Luke was Ian's. Not only that, but I thought I owed it to Ian to give our marriage a second chance after what I'd done. At that point we had been married for 15 years. I felt like I had to try to make our marriage work, especially since I was carrying his baby. Plus, the guilt I felt for sleeping with you…there are no words to explain how terrible I felt about the affair. Ian has his faults, but he would never have cheated on me. Meanwhile, I threw away our marriage vows as though they were nothing. What made me feel even worse was I didn't regret sleeping with you. And I-I can't deny that a huge part of me wanted to say yes to you that day, which made me feel even worse. But I was scared. I was scared to be a first time mom, and I felt so conflicted about everything that had happened between us. And the guilt I felt was overwhelming. I knew that no matter what I might have wanted, what I _needed_ to do was stay with Ian. I _owed_ it to him and the baby, Em."

"So what happened?" I asked when she paused for too long.

"It's hard to explain really. When you walked away from me, something inside me changed. I f-felt like I was being ripped in half…I know it sounds crazy," Rebecca said, her face flushing.

I knew exactly how she'd felt. Because I had gone through the exact same thing.

"I fell into a terrible depression," Rebecca admitted. "Nothing could make me snap out of it. Rachel came out to Hawaii…that didn't help. Ian insisted I get counseling…that didn't work either. After Luke was born, it got worse. They put me on medication and said I was suffering from postpartum depression. It didn't let up. I felt like I was living in a haze where everyday was a struggle. The only thing that got me out of bed was Luke. Ian and I were barely speaking by then. He tried to be understanding, but my downward spiral frustrated him. We ended up having separate bedrooms…separate lives. The only thing we had in common by then was Luke. It was a really dark time for me."

"Was Ian good to Luke?" I had to question.

"Yes," Rebecca replied, her face going pale again. "He's a great father."

I swallowed before asking, "So how'd you snap out of it? What changed?"

"Luke did," Rebecca said with a half smile forming on her lips. My eyes were instantly drawn to them, but I forced myself to concentrate on her words.

"When Luke was a little over three, his face matured and became more defined. Up until then he looked exactly like me. If you compare our baby pictures, it's actually uncanny. His features changed though and for the first time I saw you. It made me wonder if it was possible to bleed during pregnancy. A quick call to my doctor confirmed that you could. I was so stupid to not even realize that possibility."

"Not stupid," I automatically defended her. "It doesn't happen that often."

Rebecca shrugged. "When I first realized the similarities between you and Luke, the depression lifted from me like I never had it. I started to become aware of everything for the first time in almost four years, and I noticed things about Luke. The way he tilts his head when he's concentrating…the way he holds himself…it's so much like what you do. But I started to reason with myself. It wasn't possible for you to be his dad. It was just my imagination. And when that didn't work, I forced myself to remember all the bad things I knew about you…"

"What are you talking about?" I snapped.

Rebecca shook her head before saying tearfully, "I kept thinking about what I knew of your past. You drank too much…you slept around too much. You took off out east, leaving Quil with the responsibility of the garage you both owned. I thought…is this the guy you want as the father of your child?"

"You judged me on something as flimsy as that?" I asked angrily. While I was off in medical school trying to improve my life, Rebecca was making rash decisions based on things she didn't even understand.

"I'm sorry," Rebecca whispered.

"Well don't stop there," I replied sarcastically. "Please…tell me what other reasons you had for keeping my son away from me."

"No more reasons," Rebecca responded softly. "I finally couldn't live with not knowing anymore. I ordered a DNA kit. You can get one through the mail nowadays. I sent in hair samples I got off of Luke and Ian's hairbrushes. The tests came back stating there was no way possible that Luke was Ian's son."

I felt myself soften slightly. At least she decided to do the right thing there.

"When I got the results…I can't even begin to describe how devastated I felt. I ruined all our lives for nothing. I hurt you when it was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I made Ian raise a child he wasn't even sure he wanted at first, then I had to tell him the son he had grown to love wasn't his. I denied Luke his natural father, when the whole reason I stayed with Ian in the first place was to avoid that situation. And I know you'll never understand this, but I hurt myself too. You see…I'd realized that day in Hawaii that I wasn't in love with Ian anymore, contrary to what I said. But I stayed with him because of the pregnancy and because of the guilt. And it was all for nothing."

Again my arms ached to hold her. It was stupid and unreasonable, but I wanted to take away the pain she had gone through. While she had suffered from depression and guilt, an emotion I was very familiar with at the moment, I had gone to medical school and found Amy.

"You said you told Ian," I mentioned.

"Yes, as soon as I got the results, we sat down and I told him everything."

"What'd he say?" I asked.

"He said he wanted a divorce and immediately moved out. After a few weeks, I let him know I was going to find you and let you know what I'd found out," Rebecca said sadly.

"Did he stay in contact with Luke after you separated?" I wondered achingly.

"Yeah, he did. H-He loves Luke," Rebecca said, stumbling over the words painfully.

Looking down at my son, I replied, "I'm glad he didn't cut Luke out of his life. I'm glad Luke had the love of a father growing up."

I reached out and touched Luke's cheek absently with the tips of my fingers. I wished in that moment he wasn't so heavily sedated. I wanted nothing more than for him to be at home, snuggled in his bed while I read him a nighttime story. My heart ached at the imagery.

Pulling my hand back, I turned my attention back to Rebecca. She was staring at me with tear-stained eyes.

"All this happened three years ago. Why did you take so long to tell me?"

"Jacob had mentioned you were studying abroad. I spent the next seven months waiting impatiently for you to come back to the States. Then right before you returned, Ian was in a horrible car accident. He was on his way to a surfing competition when he lost control of his car and went over a cliff. They found him submerged in water. Even though they got him out, he had been underwater almost too long. He was touch-and-go for awhile and was in a coma for almost eight months. Though we were separated, he never changed his power of attorney. I was left with all the decisions on his medical treatment, not to mention the handling of his surfing school. And I still had my own business to deal with. I knew where you were at that point. Rachel let me know when you were stateside. Since there was no way I could leave Hawaii at that point, I waited to get a hold of you. I know it was grossly unfair to you, but I felt I had to stay by Ian's side. And like I said, what I had to tell you wasn't something I felt I could do over the phone. Ian helped me so much after my mom's accident, and even after all I did to him, he still looked out for me. He always made sure I was okay and would take Luke out whenever Luke needed some guy time. I just couldn't leave him. He didn't have anyone else."

"What happened to Ian?" I asked, trying to absorb everything she was telling me.

Whenever I thought of Rebecca over the years, I certainly had never envisioned this kind of life for her. Maybe that was why I'd felt the occasional pull when I'd thought my imprint connection was broken. She had been going through hell while I had moved on with my life.

"Ian's good now," Rebecca smiled her first genuine smile since I came into the room. It made my heart lurch. "When he first woke up from the coma, things were hard. He had to learn basic functions again. Things like how to eat and tie his shoes. He had trouble speaking too, but he's on his way to a full recovery. In fact, as soon as our divorce is finalized, he's going to be getting married to his physical therapist."

"And that doesn't bother you?" I wondered in surprise.

"After everything I put him through?" Rebecca responded with a shake of the head. "I just want him to be happy. We all deserve to be happy at some point in our lives, right?"

"What about you?" I had to ask. "Are you happy?"

Rebecca's smile slowly fell away and the permanent sad expression she always seemed to have anymore appeared back on her face.

"Not really, but Luke for the most part is a happy kid. As long as he's happy, I'm okay."

"Does Ian still keep in contact with Luke?" I questioned. "Doesn't he miss him?"

"Yes, but Ian knew that I always planned to find you and let you be apart of Luke's life if you wanted. They keep in contact through email, but I think Ian's been slowly letting Luke go ever since he found out the truth."

My eyes ran over her tired, pale features, and I felt my heart beat at an odd tempo as my stomach clenched.

"Is that why you came back? To let me be a part of Luke's life?"

"I had already made plans to move back to La Push when I found out you were returning to the area. I know you have a girlfriend and I'm not looking to interfere or mess with your life, but I would love for you to get to know your son…if you want."

"Yes," I said immediately. "I want to know him."

"Good," Rebecca replied, her face relaxing for the first time. She looked awkwardly down, before glancing back at my face. "Amy seems really nice Em. I'm glad you found happiness with her."

"Yeah, she's great," I responded, not bothering to correct her.

I wasn't ready yet to reveal that Amy and I had broken up. As much as I yearned to know Luke, I wasn't ready to let Rebecca be a part of my life right now. I felt sharp pain slice over me. The imprint magic at its worse. I wasn't being completely honest with my imprint and it was punishing me.

"Does Luke know about me?" I asked.

Rebecca hesitated before saying, "Not yet, I wanted you two to meet first."

"You will tell him though, right?"

"Yes."

I nodded, staring at my son.

"Embry," Rebecca said, drawing my attention back to her. "I know what I did was unforgivable. I know I can never give back what you've missed out on regarding Luke. And even though I know I can never make up for what I did, I'd still like to tell you how sorry I am…for everything."

I shrugged in response. As much as I wanted to, I wasn't ready to forgive her. Her face fell at my lack of response.

"So…if for no other reason than Luke, can we try to be friends again?" Rebecca pleaded.

I looked down at my son before looking back at Becks.

"Okay," I finally said. "We can be friends again."

Rebecca sagged as though a pressure had been lifted off her.

"Why don't you sit down before you collapse?" I suggested. "You look exhausted."

She laughed exhaustingly. "Yeah, it's been some crazy day."

She sat back in the chair and drew the blanket over her. I cautiously made my way around the bed and sat in the chair next to hers. Rebecca didn't freeze up this time and I felt a quiet joy enter my heart.

"So tell me about being a wolf," Rebecca implored.

"It doesn't freak you out?" I wondered.

"After seeing Luke get hit by a car, nothing much can," Rebecca replied with a shudder.

I couldn't resist any longer and reached out to touch her hand that was exposed on the side of the blanket. She didn't flinch away this time. Instead she turned her hand and grasped my palm to hers. I began to tell her about my life as a shape-shifter. After an hour her eyes slowly drifted close and she fell back asleep. I didn't let go of her hand and instead spent the rest of the night staring at her features, utterly mesmerized.

I didn't know what was going to happen with Rebecca, but she was giving me a chance to know my son. I wasn't going to miss out on that. And there was still one more matter at hand that we had to discuss.

I still had to tell Rebecca that I'd imprinted on her.

_A/N – Interesting story for you. I decided on a whim to submit "First Imprint (Sam's Story)" to a couple of weeks ago, and lo and behold it got accepted. (If you're not familiar with that site, your story has to be approved before they'll allow you to post it.) Now they have certain standards, so I've been going through the story with a fine tooth comb. I only have two chapters up right now, but it got me thinking. Why not redo Sam's story to better fit the rest of the saga? So that's what I'm going to do. What does that mean for you? It means that First Imprint is now going to have more drama and I'm finally going to give Sam and Emily the lemons they deserve (which, I've had a few people request. *cough*) I'm going to try to add a couple of moments between Embry and Harry, and I've already written a mini catfight between Leah and Emily. Once the story is complete on that site, I'll be reposting it on this site. I'll let you know when the new version is up, or you can check it out on Twilighted in the meantime. _

_**Also, I have a goal…though I'm not sure if it's attainable or not. I'd really love to hit 2000 reviews before this story is finished, and we don't have that much more to go. So if you could please leave me some feedback, I'd appreciate it. :D**_


	25. Birthday Wishes

**Announcements**

**1) Paul One Shot**

I wrote a one shot for a contest I recently won. It's based on when Paul imprints on Rachel. I hope you'll check it out. It's called "Apologetic Imprint (Paul's POV)." You can find it on my profile page. And please leave a review. :D

**2) For The Love Of Imprint Blog**

I recently started a blog with another writer, Dazzled~By~Jake. It's going to contain a lot of different Twilight Saga topics including: character analysis, tips and suggestions, movie and book discussions, and so on. I hope you'll check it out. You can find the link on my profile page.

And sorry for the delay in this chapter. I've had a lot going on recently. This one is for ChloeHeartless X and BadRomance'Darling for starting Nate topics in my forum. Thanks for loving my OCs so much.

* * *

**Chapter 25 – Birthday Wishes**

Embry's POV

My son hated me. Yep, there was no doubt in my mind. Luke hated me with all the fiery passion his little six-year-old body could muster.

We started off okay while he was in the hospital. When I wasn't doing rounds or covering my shift in the ER, I was visiting Luke and Rebecca in his hospital room. At first, things had been fine between us, when he thought I was just a doctor checking on his progress. He was open and friendly with a touch of shyness.

When he caught me staring at his mom one too many times though, his happy expression transformed into a permanent scowl. He started responding to my questions regarding his well-being with short monosyllable answers. And he always felt a constant urge to tell me the wondrous achievements of his "father" Ian…surfer boy extraordinaire. I didn't know a child of his age could be so in touch with his sarcastic side. I would have patted him on the back and congratulated him for taking a leaf out of his old man's notebook if I wasn't so damned frustrated.

Rebecca saw all of this happening. She became very good at pacing in an effort to keep herself calm anytime Luke started to act up. She never let Luke get rude and he never crossed that line. If there seemed to be one thing he _did_ respect in my presence, it was his mother. He obviously adored her, which made him seem to hate me even worse. Rebecca told me she wanted to tell Luke the truth…more than once in fact, but I asked her to wait until I got on his good side a little more. At the rate we were going though it didn't seem like that was ever going to happen.

Luke was out of the hospital within a week of his surgery. After he was fully vaccinated, he was released. Rebecca left with her purse filled with pre-cautionary antibiotics and multi-vitamins to help Luke's immune system, which was now more vulnerable without his spleen. I went to see him off as they left that day. He probably would have ignored me if Rebecca hadn't told him to thank me for all my care. He muttered a "thanks," holding his mother's hand and staring at the ground the entire time.

Things did not improve over the next few weeks. Rebecca was always trying to throw us together. She'd invite me over to dinner with her, Luke, and Billy as she and Luke were living at Billy's house. Or she'd come up with excuses for me to come over. Once was because she needed "help" hanging up a shelf. Another time she asked me to take a look at her perfectly tuned car engine. I knew what she was doing and I didn't complain. But Luke still went out of his way to pretend I either didn't exist, or he continued with his sarcastic remarks.

When I wasn't at the hospital or at Billy's house for some trumped up reason from

Rebecca, I resorted to stationing myself outside of their house at night. I'd get done with my shift, phase, and high-tail it to La Push. Nate Uley and his pack usually left me alone whenever I was in wolf form, though I did have to help them once when a nomad vampire came to the area and attacked someone near Port Angeles. I was pissed that my nightly stalking had been interrupted, but my anger helped spur a quick end to the bloodsucker.

A month after Luke's accident, I was invited to Nate's 18th birthday party. A lot of the old pack was going to be there. The retired wolves, Paul, Jared, Quil, Collin, Rafe, and Mac were all going to be there along with their families. The active wolves, Brady, Azra, Seth, and Devlin were also all coming.

Jacob and his family were not planning on attending. Things were still tense between Sam and Jacob after the fight they'd had during the summer. Plus, their sons, Gabe and Nate, couldn't stand each other and had already gotten into trouble at school because of their mutual animosity. Some of the other pack members weren't able to make it either. Leah and her family had moved to Oregon and couldn't make it. Neither could Ethan, Will, or Tristen.

I knew Sam was hoping that Ryan would show up, but the last anyone heard, he was still stuck in D.C., much to Sam and Nate's disappoint. They really wanted him back as Gracie seemed to be getting more out of control. They were pretty sure it had to do with a subconscious need for her to be with her imprint, but they couldn't force Ryan to come back any earlier than he could. In the meantime, they had to put up with Gracie's obnoxious, lip-pierced boyfriend, Zack Murray.

When I got to the Uley house, Emily greeted me with a huge hug before directing me in the backyard. I passed Rachel, Claire, and Sam's mom, Dorothy, in the kitchen. Nodding to them I headed outside.

"Embry, hey," Seth called.

I made my way over to the grill where Sam was standing with Quil, Azra, Seth, and Paul. Sam was notorious for being a horrible cook so Paul was doing the honors. There were piles of hotdogs and hamburgers just waiting to be cooked. Wolves, retired or active, had tremendous appetites.

Looking around, I noticed Paul's son Devlin and Nate were sitting in lawn chairs nearby, Nate looking forlorn. I knew he had to be disappointed that his imprint wasn't coming. Brady was sitting in another chair, reading a story to Quil's daughter Kayley. Kayley didn't look at the book once as she stared at Brady in complete adoration. I'd never seen a 15-month-old sit so still. I turned my gaze back to the group I was standing with. Quil had a stupid, goofy smile on his face.

"What's your problem?" I asked as I grabbed one of the burgers Paul had just finished cooking and polished it off in a few bites.

"What?" Quil said, trying to force his expression into a straight face.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Can't a guy smile?" Quil remarked, putting on a hurt expression.

"No," Paul and I answered at the same time.

"He's been like this at work all week," Azra said, taking a swig of the beer he was holding.

"Yeah, I interrupted him changing Kayley's crappy diaper earlier and he was humming," Sam said. "I agree…I think there's something going on."

"Whatever," Quil said, rolling his eyes.

His attention was immediately distracted as Claire walked into the backyard with Collin and his wife Lindsey. Quil's face lit up as soon as he saw his wife. He didn't say another word to us as he made a beeline for Claire, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. They made their way over to us.

"Who's the man? This guy right here!" Collin said, smiling broadly as he jabbed himself in the chest with his two thumbs.

Lindsey, who was standing next to her husband, rolled her eyes before she also started smiling.

"I'm pregnant!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"No way!" Claire said, Quil's arm still wrapped around her. "I'm pregnant too!"

The girls stared at each other for a moment before they started shrieking and hugging each other. They were best friends who shared everything and now they were going to share this. Everyone started congratulating the expectant parents. I wondered if I was the only one who noticed Azra's face lingering on Claire's for a minute, his expression pained before he quickly turned to take another swig of his beer.

"So I guess that means _I'm_ the man," Quil smirked. "You know…cause this is baby number two, which means my super swimmers did their job not once but twice now."

'Or how about you're both idiots?" I joked. Everyone started talking about the forthcoming cubs and whether they would have boys or girls.

Jared and Kim arrived with their daughter Hayley. Their other daughter Hanna was still attending her school for the performing arts in Michigan, but she and her imprinted wolf Devlin kept in touch all the time by email and phone. Hayley saw Seth and headed over to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a secluded part of the yard. Jared looked like he wanted to deck Seth, but Kim just rolled her eyes. I quickly lost focus on the soap opera playing out before my eyes when I picked up the sweet familiar scent of lavender and vanilla.

Turning, I watched as Rebecca and Rachel came out into the backyard. Paul and Rachel's youngest son Sean was walking behind them talking animatedly to Luke. The pull I always felt towards Rebecca tugged hard in her direction as I stared at her. I forced myself to look away so that I could focus on Luke. I knew he was given a clean bill of health upon his last checkup with his doctor. He wasn't suffering any adverse effects from losing his spleen.

"Hey," I said as I walked quickly over to them. Luke stopped talking to his cousin long enough to glare at me.

"Hi Embry," Rebecca beamed before turning to put her arm around our son's shoulders. "Luke, say hello."

"Hello Dr. Call," Luke muttered to the ground.

I sighed. This was his latest thing. If he addressed me at all, it was Dr. Call.

"Hey Luke," I said, trying to remain patient. "You know you can call me Embry."

He looked me straight in the eye then and said, "My father always told me to be polite to my elders."

With that, he moved out of his mother's hold and made his way over to his older cousin Devlin whom he adored.

"Em…" Rebecca said in a frustrated tone, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it," I replied.

I looked at Rebecca carefully. She was wearing black slacks and a long sleeved, light blue shirt that clung to her in all the right spots. Her hair was up in a messy bun, her make-up natural. She looked amazing.

"You look really nice," was all I could muster. I reached up and pushed back a tendril of hair that had escaped its confinement. My fingertips brushed her cheek and I heard Rebecca's heart speed up.

"Thanks," she said softly. I think Rachel left to join Paul but I wasn't sure. I wasn't aware of anything but Rebecca in that moment.

"Mom, I'm hungry." Luke suddenly appeared, pulling on Rebecca's hand and effectively dousing water on the proverbial flames we were creating.

"Hmm?" Rebecca murmured, still staring at me.

"Food mom," Luke insisted.

"Sure, sure," Rebecca nodded as she let Luke lead her away from me. I smiled at her reaction and felt incredible satisfaction in knowing I was the cause of that dazed expression on her face.

I grabbed a beer from the cooler and took a seat on one of the lawn chairs set out. The seat next to me was conspicuously empty. I tried not to get too hopeful that Rebecca would join me. I watched as she helped Luke get his food. He filled his plate before carefully carrying it over to where Sean was sitting. Rebecca grabbed her own food and looked around. My heart sank as she made her way over to where Rachel and Paul were sitting with Quil, Claire, Lindsey, Collin, Sam, and Emily. She paused and glanced towards the area I was sitting in. As soon as she saw me, her face broke out into a hesitant smile. I nodded and pointed to the chair next to me with my head. She quickly walked over to me and sat down.

"Did you eat already?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, right before you got here," I replied, though I knew I hadn't eaten enough. My stomach was still too tense from my latest encounter with Luke to eat anything at the moment.

"So…uh…where's your girlfriend?" Rebecca casually questioned.

I glanced at Rebecca who was twisting her burger in circles on her plate, before I looked at Luke who was talking to Sean and one of the other wolf kids, Rafe Elwah's son, Tauri. Ah, fuck it. What did I have to lose?

"Amy and I broke up," I finally said.

Rebecca was taking a bite of her burger when I said this. She momentarily coughed, before looking at me with a mix of sympathy and something else.

"I'm sorry Em, I hope it wasn't because of Luke or anything I did," Rebecca replied sincerely. She had no idea how much my break up with Amy had to do with her.

"No, we…uh…we broke up a couple of months ago," I admitted. Rebecca began coughing again and I had to ask, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Rebecca said through her coughs. "I just had some food go down wrong."

"Let me get you some water," I responded, getting up quickly and heading towards the cooler. All that was left was beer so I went inside to get Rebecca a glass of water. I was filling it when I heard little feet enter the kitchen.

"Why do you act like that around my mom all the time?" I turned around to find my son staring at me with a petulant look on his face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, putting the glass on the counter so that I could lean against it, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You're always watching her and hanging around her," Luke scowled.

"I didn't realize I was."

"My mom loves my dad. She said he'll always have a place in her heart. She cried all the time when he was in the hospital."

I swallowed over the painful lump in my throat. "I'm sure she did. Becks and I go way back. We've been friends since I was your age."

"Hmph," was Luke's only reply. He crossed his scrawny arms over his chest.

"Hey Embry, I'll just take a--" Rebecca came into the kitchen.

She looked from me to our son with a strange smile on her face. It was then that I realized Luke and I were standing in the exact same pose. I unfolded my arms.

"What's going on?" Rebecca asked, her eyes narrowed on Luke.

"I don't like him!" Luke stated, pointing at me with added emphasis.

"Lucas Mason! Apologize for being rude."

"Sorry," Luke muttered, not meeting my eyes. He looked in his mom's direction and said, "I'm gonna go play with Sean."

He stormed out of the room to join Rachel's son outside. He didn't look at me once.

"So…that went well," I tried to joke, but my stomach was clenched painfully.

"I'm so sorry Em," Rebecca said, walking over to me. "He's still trying to adjust to living here and he misses Ian. Give him time."

"Sure," I tried to smile but it failed to reach my lips. My own son hated me. I tried to think of something positive.

"So you gave him my middle name?"

"Yeah," Rebecca said, blushing slightly before taking a sip of the water I'd prepared for her.

She leaned against the counter. "We need to tell him Embry."

"I know," I sighed. "Do you think he'll hate me worse?"

Rebecca reached out and squeezed my arm in comfort, causing my skin to tingle where she touched.

"He's just confused," Rebecca said. "He doesn't know you yet…once he does, I know he'll love you."

"How do you know that for sure?" I asked in a low tone.

"I…you're very easy to love," Rebecca whispered.

Without even realizing it, our bodies had gravitated towards each other and we were now touching toe to toe. Rebecca looked up at me with need noticeable in her large eyes. And I was drawn to it. I didn't even want to resist. I reached and cupped the side of her face with one hand, tilting her head so that her lips were at a more reachable angle. My head lowered as Rebecca put her hands on my chest, standing up on her toes to bring her closer to my mouth. Our lips were mere inches apart when Emily came into the kitchen causing us to hurriedly step away from each other. Emily was speaking over her shoulder not paying attention to what she'd just walked in on.

"I'll grab more burgers Sam, just let Paul cook," Emily yelled out before she turned and froze. "Oops, sorry…didn't mean to interrupt. I just need to grab some more food."

Emily practically sped through the kitchen, quickly leaving as abruptly as she arrived, but the mood was broken. Rebecca and I were already a good foot apart.

"Em…I need to tell you something," Rebecca said, running one finger over Emily's spotless counter top.

"Sure," I replied, still trying to get my composure. I had a feeling that whatever she was about to tell me was going to be something I wouldn't like.

"I'm going back to Hawaii. I--"

"No," I interrupted, running a shaky hand through my hair. "You can't leave me, dammit!"

I turned away from her and put my hands on one the kitchen chair tops. Rebecca wrapped her arms around me from behind and placed her cheek against my back.

"You misunderstood," Rebecca explained, hugging me tighter. "I'm not moving back to Hawaii. I've waited too long…"

Rebecca didn't finish. I turned so that I could hug her. I'd waited too long to. Just the idea of not having Rebecca or Luke around filled me with a void that was unsurpassable. Whether Rebecca and I were together or not, she and Luke were my family. I wouldn't recover this time if I lost them.

"Why are you going back?" I asked, holding her even closer to me so that my cheek rested against the top of her head.

"To finalize the divorce and complete the sale of my gallery," Rebecca murmured.

"How long will you be gone?"

"About a week," Rebecca said, pulling back only far enough so that she could look into my eyes.

I lowered my head to try to kiss her again but stopped. I couldn't do this yet. I couldn't rush our relationship. And a part of me was terrified that she would go back to Hawaii and remember how much she once loved Ian. Breaking out of our hold, I grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the backyard.

"We should see if it's time for cake," I said.

Once we got outside, I was recruited into playing a game of football with the guys. We split into two teams. Sam acted as captain of one team. Nate was captain of the other. It ended up being original wolves versus the newer wolves. Paul, Jared, Quil, Collin, Brady and I ended up on one team. Sam also requested Luke play with us, which I knew I'd have to thank him for later. Gracie made the foolish mistake of insisting that her boyfriend Zack play as well so Sam begrudgingly invited him to join our team.

Nate's team consisted of Seth, who didn't want to get into the same huddle with Jared. Jared was still too pissed about Seth making moves on his 17-year-old daughter. A lot of the wolves who had changed around the Renesmee/Volturi battle were also on Team Nate. Azra joined the opposing team along with Rafe and Mac. Rafe's son Tauri also joined Nate's team, though he was Luke's age. Rounding out the other members were Paul and Rachel's sons, Devlin and Sean, and Mac's son Jason. Jason was a huge 12-year-old. I knew Nate was watching him carefully. After that vampire showed up in Port Angeles, Jason grew about 6 inches in two weeks.

The teams were evenly matched. Team Nate had more kids on their side, but they also had most of the active wolves. The game didn't start off well.

Nate lightly body checked Gracie's boyfriend Zack. He went flying across the yard, a move which left him pale and shaking like a leaf on the ground. Gracie cursed Nate out before grabbing Zack's hand. They disappeared soon after. Sam was smirking before he yelled at Nate for hurting someone weaker than him. But I'd never seen Sam look prouder of his son. From there, things just got ugly.

Brady was running with the ball when Kayley cried out. He stopped moving immediately, standing in the middle of the playing field as his eyes searched frantically for his imprint. Devlin didn't even hesitate to plow him over. Brady got jarred so badly that he had to quit…no big loss for him. He cheered from the sidelines, holding Kayley tenderly.

Jared dogged Seth like a shadow. Seth was quicker and stronger being active still, but Jared had determination on his side. Every chance he got, he went after Seth. Jared's daughter, Hayley, could be heard most of the game either yelling at her dad or cheering Seth on.

I had passed Quil the ball and he was running for a touchdown when Azra came out of nowhere and went after him. He looked like he was out for blood and he showed no mercy as he grabbed Quil around the waist and body-slammed him to the ground. When Quil got up, his lip was bleeding.

"What the hell Az?" Quil yelled.

"Sorry," Azra muttered, quickly walking away as Claire ran over to hand Quil a napkin.

The game was tied when I carefully passed the ball to Luke. With a fierce look on his face, he took off running. Rebecca was right, the kid was fast. I body checked any wolves that got in Luke's way as he made his way to the end zone. As soon as he scored, he spiked the ball before doing a little victory dance. Luke ran over to me with a gleeful smile on his face, his hand outstretched. I moved my hand out and he smacked it excitedly with his own.

Emily called out that it was time for cake and ice cream. Nate was congratulating Luke on his winning touchdown when his eyes widened and he looked over to the back door of the house. Moments later Nessie Black and her daughter, Meena, appeared.

"Ness, you came," Emily said, coming over to hug her. "Jake with you?"

"No, he took Gabe hunting," Ness explained before adding. "I'm sorry we're so late."

"You're here…" Nate remarked, looking dumbfounded as he made his way to his imprint. Meena shyly smiled and nodded back. He just stared at her in return.

Emily, smiling like a sap, grabbed Ness and pulled her towards the other wives, giving their kids a moment.

"Here," Meena said, handing Nate a small present in the shape of a CD case.

Nate opened it, revealing some obscure band that I had never heard of.

"Do you have that one?" Meena asked hesitantly. "My Grandpa Edward recommended it."

"No, but I'm sure I'll love it," Nate replied, smiling so brightly I half expected his face to explode.

"You gonna cut the cake, or moon over your girl," Collin shouted out. Sam went up and smacked him on the back of the head.

Both Nate and Meena's faces turned beet red, but they made their way over to where the cake and ice cream were. Gracie appeared in that moment, looking ticked off. She was sans her boyfriend, but the huge hickey on her neck was very telling of what they had been up to.

"Nate, you ass…" Gracie started to say when she noticed Meena. She quickly looked around before saying, "Hey Meena, did Gabe come with you?"

"No, he couldn't make it," Meena said in a proper tone. "He told me to tell you hello though."

"Hmm," was Gracie's only response as she sat down next to her mother.

We began to sing happy birthday. Nate didn't even notice. His eyes were permanently fixated on Meena, who kept giving him side glances.

"Nate, it helps if you blow out the candles," Rafe Elwah said. Rafe was not only a retired wolf, but he was also a teacher at the high school and knew all the teens well.

"Oh," Nate jumped.

"Make a wish," Emily insisted.

Nate gave Meena another quick glance, before he blew out his candles. The cake was soon passed out. I sat down next to Paul and Rachel at a picnic table that had been set up. Rebecca sat opposite me. The girls were talking about the fact that there would soon be two new babies on the Rez. As I listened to the nuances of Rebecca's voice as she spoke, a piece of cake suddenly appeared on the table in front of me. I looked over and saw Luke staring at me intently.

"Thanks Luke," I said in a surprised tone.

"You're welcome," Luke replied shyly, before sitting down next to me and digging into his own cake.

I noticed that he was sitting closer to me than was necessary. I wanted to wrap my arm around him, like Mac was currently doing with his youngest son Joe. But this was a small step in the right direction and I'd take it.

With a relieved smile, I glanced at Rebecca. She was smiling back at me with happy tears in her eyes. I took the fork that Luke had also thought to provide and took a bite of the cake my son had given me.

I had never tasted anything so sweet in all my life.

_A/N – If all the wolves are confusing to you, I have all their histories in my forum. Now, I'm not a big fan of posting on the weekend because reviews are always lower, but I didn't want to make you wait any longer for this chapter. That said, please review._


	26. Hello And Goodbye

_A/N – Okay…time for some Q&A_

**1) What's up with Azra?**

Azra's behavior is nothing new. I've actually been setting up his story for quite a while. Both Quil and Embry have mentioned several times that Azra's always been quiet and guarded. If you've read my notes on the seven "Volturi Era" wolves (in my forum), it's mentioned that Azra keeps his thoughts private for a reason. Az has been one of my favorites for awhile now. I'm glad I got to spotlight him for a little bit. You'll find out more about him in the kids' story. And yes, I'm still planning on writing a story about Nate/Meena/Gracie/Gabe/Ryan.

**2) Does Luke go to school?**

Yes, he's in first grade, but due to the accident and his injuries, he's missed quite a bit of the first couple of months of school. But not to worry. One thing you'll learn about Luke is that he's extremely smart. Like father, like son.

**3) How many chapters are left?**

I originally thought this story was going to go to 30 chapters, but I've changed some things. All I can say is that it's going to end _around_ 30 chapters. It might go over, it might go less. I'll let you know when I'm at the end.

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**Chapter 26 – Hello and Goodbye**

Rebecca's POV

"Aloha, this is your captain speaking. We'll be landing in Honolulu in approximately 15 minutes. Please make sure that your seatbelt is fastened at this time. We appreciate you flying with United Airways."

I checked to make sure that Luke's seatbelt was locked into place before putting mine on. I hated taking him out of school for this, but he had already missed so much, what was one more week? Besides, who knew when Luke would get a chance to see Ian again.

I was anxious to get this trip over with. It was the end of an era for me. After 22 years of marriage, I would be leaving Hawaii as a divorcée. I couldn't help but feel a little sad about that. Ian and I had a lot of history together, good and bad, but I knew it was for the best and I didn't regret it.

I closed my eyes as we began our descent, my mind instantly drifting to Embry. Nothing new there, I always thought about Embry. I knew he wasn't happy about Luke and me going on this trip, but he also understood that it had to be done.

After Nate's birthday party a couple of weeks ago, Embry had built up a wall around himself that was the size of an invisible fortress. With Luke, he was kind and gentle as always. Luke remained indifferent in front of Embry, but whenever he wasn't around Luke was always quoting him, saying "Embry said this" or "Embry said that."

With me though, Embry wouldn't allow me to get close. I understood his caution. I had treated him horribly in the past. It didn't stop me from crying my eyes out at night. I wanted Embry, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. I loved him with all my heart. Was it wrong for me to hope and wish that after everything I had done to him, he could love me back?

A part of me craved for the easy existence of our youth. We'd been so comfortable around each other back then. That was until Embry hit puberty and became mute around me, blushing every time I tried talking to him. Still, I would rather have "awkward" Embry than the cold, indifferent Embry I faced today. But I deserved it.

Our relationship now wasn't about me anyway. It was about Luke. I wanted Luke and Embry to get to know each other and build a bond. That was all that was important. At least that's what I told myself.

The plane touched down and we exited it. The fragrant, familiar air surrounded me, and yet, I yearned for the fresh ocean and pine scents of La Push. I wanted to be back there. In the years I had been away from the state of Washington, I had always felt this inexplicable pull inside me, calling to me to return home. Now it was so much worse. I wanted to get right back on the plane and order the pilots to drop me off at Embry's apartment. My heart lurched just at the idea of seeing him again. Sighing, I grabbed Luke's hand as we made our way to the luggage claim area.

"Becca!"

I turned and saw Ian making his way towards us with a huge smile on his face. My own face lit up in an answering smile.

"Dad!" Luke shouted, running over to Ian to climb into his lap.

Ian stopped pushing the wheelchair that was now his permanent mode of transportation and wrapped his arms around Luke. My eyes momentarily stung with tears as I thought of how unfair life had been to Ian. First my betrayal, then the car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Ian's spirit never broke though, which was another reason why I would always love him. I might not be _in_ love with him anymore, but he would always be one of my closest friends. I was lucky that he still accepted me so graciously in his life.

"I can't believe how big you've gotten," Ian remarked, running a hand over Luke's dark hair before looking at me.

"You look like hell Becca," he stated, blunt as always.

"Thanks," I laughed. "I've missed you too."

I leaned down and lightly kissed his cheek, straightening quickly as I saw a woman speeding over to us. My relationship with Ian's fiancée before they got engaged had always been good. I liked Trish. She was warm hearted and she treated Ian like a king. Once their relationship shifted from physical therapist/patient to something more, our friendship quickly frosted over. I knew Ian had to have told Trish everything about our marriage which would warrant her cool reception. Even now, with her red, curly hair pulled back into a sophisticated bun and her expression casual, I could sense the dislike oozing off of her.

"Hello Trish, it's good to see you again," I said politely.

"You too, Rebecca," Trish nodded, not looking at me.

Ian looked from me to Trish to Luke before saying, "Uh…why don't we go back to the house."

I nodded and we were off. We stopped by a hotel first so Luke and I could get a room, before we headed over to my old house which Ian and Trish were now occupying. Luke barely left Ian's side as we got caught up on what we'd been doing over the past month. There were still some items in the house I had to sort through that were mine, so I did this as we talked. Luke sat on Ian's lap and told him about his new life on the Rez and all about his school, which he had only attended a couple of weeks so far thanks to the accident and this trip. Ian told me about how he had opened up another surfing school in California. Though he could no longer do the traditional surfing that made him a name, he still boogey-boarded. Reading between the lines, Ian was on his way to becoming a filthily rich man. The one topic none of us brought up was Embry.

I finished packing the rest of my belongings and made arrangements to have them shipped to La Push. We ate dinner with Trish and Ian, before Trish dropped us off at the hotel. I called my father to let him know we had gotten to our destination safely. I tried calling Embry too, but I got his voicemail as he was at work. I left him a message telling him we were okay and that I'd see him when I got back.

I tried not to feel too disappointed. I really wanted to talk to Embry and even hearing his voice on his voicemail made me want to cry from the longing I felt. I wanted him next to me holding my hand. However, it would have been in extremely poor taste to bring the man I got impregnated by while married to my divorce.

The next day Ian and I met with our lawyers and signed the final documents which made us officially divorced. I didn't want anything financially from Ian which I'd told him beforehand. So it came as a surprise to learn that Ian had put five percent of his business's shares into a college trust fund for Luke. When I saw how much money had already accumulated I objected, but Ian was adamant. I knew that with the money Ian gave, Luke could major in anything he wanted, and he'd have plenty of money left over at the end of his education.

I spent the next few days getting the rest of my affairs in order and saying goodbye to old friends. The day before I was supposed to head back to La Push, I dropped Luke off at Ian's so they could spend the morning together while I met with my business partner to sell my half of the gallery. It took little time to get everything settled. Once the sale was completed, I headed back to Ian's with a sense of relief. All my loose ends were now tied up. When I knocked on the front door of my former house, Ian opened it with a troubled expression on his face.

"I think I did something really bad," Ian admitted worriedly.

I looked around for my son and felt instant dread.

"Becca, I'm sorry…I didn't know," Ian tried to explain.

"What's happened?" I asked trying not to feel panicky.

"I asked Luke what he thought about his father since no one was bringing it up. I thought you would've told him already, and you weren't talking about it in front of me to spare my feelings or something."

Shit! "Where's Luke?"

"He's in the backyard on his swing," Ian said, looking shame-faced.

I ran out the backdoor and headed towards the tree where we had hung up a tire swing a few years before. My heart broke as I looked at Luke sitting inside the tire, looking dejected. He was using his toe to push himself back and forth.

"Hey," I said, taking a seat on the grass next to him.

Luke didn't reply. He just kept staring at the ground.

"Luke, why don't you come sit down next to me and we can talk?" I suggested, but Luke shook his head.

Sighing, I said, "I know you must be confused. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. Embry and I wanted you to get to know him first."

Upon hearing Embry's name, Luke hid his face against the tire and kicked uselessly at the ground.

"I just don't understand," Luke finally whispered. "I thought you loved Dad."

"Oh honey, I do," I responded. "Ian and I are very good friends and I'll always love him as one. But that's not always enough sometimes. A mom and dad should be together because they love each other so much they don't want to be without one another. Ian and I stopped feeling that way about each other a long time ago."

"And then you fell in love with E-Embry?" Luke asked, still not looking at me.

How did I respond to this? I pulled on a piece of grass until it broke in my hand. I wrapped the blade around my index finger. I was sick of the lies, so I told my son the truth.

"Embry and I have known each other since we were kids. And then before you were born, I met him again and yes, I fell in love with him. But I was silly and I didn't realize how I felt. When I finally knew, he had moved far away."

"Didn't he want us?" Luke asked, looking at me for the first time. My heart broke into a thousand pieces as I stared into his red, tear-stained eyes.

"He never knew about you," I whispered.

"You mean, he didn't _want_ to know about me," Luke responded belligerently, anger setting into his face. No six-year-old should ever look like that.

"That's not true," I replied instantly. "Since Embry found out you were his son, he hasn't left your side. He wants to be a part of your life."

Luke shook his head before staring into the distance. "How come you didn't tell him right away that I was his son?"

"Because I…" I paused, trying to figure out how to proceed. What could I say?

_Your mommy was a cheap, unfaithful slut who got impregnated by a man who wasn't her husband, and she was stupid enough to not know who the father was._

Yeah, that should go over really well.

"When I went to tell Embry you were his son, he had moved to Africa to work in a hospital there, and I didn't know how to get a hold of him. And then Ian got into that car accident and I had to stay here to help him. As soon as I could though, I told Embry you were his son."

Luke sniffed before shaking his head stubbornly. "I hate him. I wish I never even met him. I don't want him to be my dad."

My heart broke all over again. "Luke, this isn't Embry's fault. If you want to be mad at someone be mad at me. It's all my fault. I handled everything wrong. Please don't blame Embry. You both deserve to get to know each other."

Luke put his head back down on the tire and didn't say anything more. Sighing again, I got up and walked over to him, kissing him on top of his head.

"I love you Lucas Mason. All of us do. No matter what happens or how you might be feeling right now, you remember that." When I didn't get a response, I added, "I'll be inside if you want to talk."

Luke didn't react so I went back inside the house.

"How is he?" Ian asked worriedly.

"Feeling pretty ticked off at the world," I replied, rubbing at my forehead tiredly.

"Hey," Ian said quietly.

I looked up and saw that he had his hand out for me to take. I did so and he pulled me onto his lap. I put my head on his shoulder and took a deep breath of Ian's aftershave. It wasn't addicting like Embry's scent was, but it was familiar and comforting.

"So what about you and what's his face? How are things going?" Ian asked and I had to smile at his phrasing.

"Oh, he hates me," I replied.

Ian shrugged. "He'll get over hating you. We all do."

"Thanks a lot," I muttered.

"Well, you're too damn cute to be mad at for long," Ian joked, grabbing my chin and pulling my face to his so that he could lightly peck my lips with his. It was nothing but a gesture of friendship on his part and I knew that.

I sighed. "I've messed up too much. He won't forgive me and neither will Luke. I'm surprised you can even stand me."

"Becca, he'll forgive you. So will Luke," Ian told me confidently. "You know how I know?"

I shook my head.

"Because underneath it all…underneath all the pain and anger…they'll realize the same thing I did. You're unfailing human and when you make mistakes you do them with a flourish I don't envy. But you always do what you feel is right, you stand up for your convictions, and most importantly, you're a good person. You knew how much I needed you when I was recuperating and you didn't leave my side, not once. I'll never forget that."

Ian cupped my face and made me look at him.

"You're a good person Becca," he repeated with absolute conviction. "You're a fighter. If I know you, this guy doesn't stand a chance. You've waited long enough to be with him. I knew you were attracted to him even back then. I hated every time you went to La Push because I feared what inevitably happened. And whatever game he's playing with you, don't kid yourself. I saw him at your brother's wedding. He was in love with you. He's probably been in love with you for years."

I hugged my ex tightly before getting off his lap. I went to look out the window at Luke who was still swinging in his tire looking forlorn. I really hoped Ian was right. I turned back to look at him.

"You'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah," Ian replied, smiling widely. "Trish is the best thing to ever happen to me…no offense. I'm going to be more than okay."

I smiled and felt relief at his words. I could close this chapter in my life and know that everything I was leaving behind here would thrive and prosper without me. It was all I could hope for with Ian.

The next morning, Luke and I were on our way back to La Push. Ian saw us off at the airport. Luke hugged him like he didn't want to let him go. I didn't know when they'd see each other again, but I knew they planned on keeping in touch through email.

Luke still wasn't happy with me. As we got in our seats on the plane, he buckled up and slouched in his chair, turning to look out the window as we took off. Once we landed in Seattle, we hopped on a smaller plane that took us to the airport in Port Angeles. Embry had to work so my sister and Paul came to get us. Once I got to my dad's, it was to find that the items I shipped earlier from Hawaii had arrived. I was organizing them when I heard Luke and my dad talking in the living room.

"I don't want Embry to be my dad," Luke cried.

"I'd be pretty proud myself to have a dad who's a doctor," my father scolded. "You don't know him Lucas, but I've known Embry since he was a little kid. He's hard working and I know that given the chance, he'd be the best father you could ever ask for."

"I already have the best father," Luke muttered.

"Luke..." my dad said. "I know you want to be loyal to Ian, but I don't think he'd want you to be miserable. And let me tell you something else. I'd be feeling pretty darn lucky if I had two fathers who both loved me. That's more than some kids ever get. Embry sure didn't. He never had one dad growing up supporting him, let alone two dads."

That piqued my son's interest. "What happened to his dad?"

"His father couldn't be with him. He wanted to be, but he wasn't able to raise him. Embry grew up without ever knowing his dad."

Something in the way my father spoke made me frown. From what I knew of Joshua Uley, he didn't seem like he had a deep desire to be a father to either of his sons. My father looked up and saw me standing in the hallway.

He shook his head, muttering something that sounded like, "That boy's got a lot of explaining to do still."

"What I'm trying to say Luke," my father continued speaking, "is you should give Embry a chance. At least get to know him a little better. That can't hurt, right?"

"I guess not…" Luke murmured.

"Good, because Embry's a guy any kid would be proud to have as a father," my dad said convincingly.

A football game started on TV instantly ending the conversation. I went into my bedroom and called Embry but got his voicemail again. I asked him if he could come over for dinner after work. A half hour later, I got a brief text from him that only said, "yes."

I was finishing up a salad when I heard a knock on the front door. I went to answer it, but Luke was there first. When he opened it, Embry was standing on the other side. He looked exhausted, but as soon as his eyes met mine, the world seemed to fade and I forgot how to breathe.

"So…my mom and d-dad said you're my father," Luke said bluntly, instantly breaking the spell Embry had me under. I watched as Embry's eyes widened. He looked at me in surprise, and I nodded to confirm that Luke knew the truth.

"That's right," Embry finally said, before asking, "Is that okay with you?"

"Do you want a son?" Luke asked, tilting his head stubbornly.

I was familiar with that look. That was how Luke looked when he was terrified. He was scared Embry would reject him. I felt sick. I had done this to them. Would I ever be able to forgive myself for this? Would they?

Embry seemed to know exactly what was troubling Luke because he crouched down in front of him until they were eye level. "Yes, I want you. Very much."

I saw Luke's shoulders relax before he nodded slowly. He held out his hand for Embry to shake. Embry gave a little half smile before he reached down to clasp Luke's hand in his.

"Grandpa said I should give you a chance," Luke explained importantly. He looked at his grandfather before glancing back at Embry. "We're watching the Seahawks. Do you like them?"

"Definitely," Embry replied. Luke nodded in satisfaction before he moved to the couch. Embry followed and sat down next to him.

I could see by the smile on Luke's face that Embry had passed his first test. My boys were soon yelling at the officials on TV. Shaking my head, I went back into the kitchen to finish dinner. I was about to check on the steaks I was cooking when I was suddenly whirled around and pulled against a very hard muscular chest. I glanced up just as Embry's lips came crashing down on mine.

It had been seven long years since I'd felt him this way, but my body instantly remembered. I moaned as I threw my arms around his neck. He broke away only to lift me up so that I was sitting on top of the counter. He moved between my legs and kissed me again, wrapping his arms around me so tightly that there was no space between our bodies. I held him to me, hooking my legs around him securely. Embry's tongue sought mine. As soon as I granted him that right, our tongues reunited joyfully. Just as things were beginning to spin truly of control, Embry stepped back. My legs fell trembling to the floor.

"Thank you," he whispered, giving me one more soft kiss before leaving.

I had to grip the counter with both of my hands to keep myself up as I watched him leave. As soon as he was out of sight, I lifted one shaking hand to my lips, trying to savor the moist essence left by his mouth.

Stupidly, I thought of the word _aloha._

It meant hello and goodbye.

Goodbye Ian…

_Hello _Embry.

_**A/N – Please review!**_


	27. Bonding Time

**Chapter 27 – Bonding Time**

Embry's POV

I paced around the small office at Quil's auto repair shop as Quil and Jake watched me. Jake kept glancing at the clock above Quil's desk. He was working as a mechanic again for Quil and Seth. He seemed anxious today, as though he had something more pressing to do.

"What's your problem?" Quil finally asked when Jake glanced at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Sorry. The Cullens are moving to Vancouver this weekend, and Ness and I promised to meet them at the new house with the kids," Jake explained. "I need to leave soon."

"They're moving again, huh?" Quil wondered.

"They've been in Vermont for 11 years now. That's too much time in one place," Jake said before looking at me. "So what's up Em?"

Sighing, I finally admitted, "I need to tell Becks about the imprint, and I'm not sure how to go about doing it."

"Ah…" Quil sat back in his chair with a satisfied smile. "So things are progressing for you two?"

I shrugged. Rebecca's trip to Hawaii a couple of weeks ago made one thing abundantly clear. Keeping Rebecca as a casual friend wasn't an option for me. And why the hell should it be? We were both free now…free to finally be together after all these years. What was stopping us? My pride? That wasn't a good enough reason anymore.

I needed Rebecca. I had needed her for years, even before I imprinted. I had been in love with her since I was 13-years-old. Those feelings never died over the years. They got stronger even when I'd tried to bury them. After all the pain and bullshit we had gone through, I knew I'd always be in love with her. I was never going to feel complete without her. Now I had my chance to have her in my life, and I wasn't taking it because I was being too much of a pussy.

I was tired of resisting her when I knew she was what I wanted most in the world. I was tired of fighting the constant pull I felt towards her. I was pretty sure she wanted me and I knew I sure as hell wanted her. I was going to have to take a risk. I'd rather have a lifetime of pain if she rejected me again, then the constant uneasy feeling I had nowadays.

When I saw Rebecca after she'd returned from Hawaii, I knew keeping a distance was useless. I already knew I couldn't stay away from her physically. It was stupid to even try anymore. I couldn't even look at her without wanting to throw over my shoulder and take her into the nearest bedroom. Take the kiss in the kitchen for example.

I'd only meant to thank her for helping smooth things over with Luke. Luke had told me that Ian was the one who'd spilled the beans, but his mother had "explained things" to him. I'd gone into the kitchen merely to express my gratitude. I'd taken one look at her bent over the counter with her backside sticking out slightly and I'd lost it. If Luke and Billy hadn't been in the next room, I would have taken her right there in the kitchen.

And when our lips had finally reunited after seven miserable years without contact, I'd known I could never let Rebecca go again. Her going off to see her ex for their divorce, even for a week, had been enough to make me sick with jealousy and worry. I had been terrified she wouldn't come back to me. I'd never be able to explain the relief I had felt when Rebecca had texted me, inviting me over to dinner that night. I hadn't believed she'd return until I received that text.

Since our kiss in the kitchen, we hadn't experienced a repeat performance. I still came to La Push whenever work permitted so that I could spend time with Rebecca and our son. But the tension between us was becoming too intense. I was worried that if I didn't do something soon, someone else would come in and take Rebecca away. She was too desirable and I knew she wouldn't be single for long. I couldn't take the chance of someone else moving in before she and I even had a real shot. So I'd spent the past two weeks trying to "woo" her, as Sam Uley liked to call it. I complimented her all the time and touched her whenever I could. And she flirted right back. Our relationship was building. The more time I spent with her, the happier I became.

I was also beginning to bond more with Luke. I loved that kid more than I thought it was ever possible. He was smart, funny, and caring. The more I learned about him, the more incredible he was to me. He and Rebecca were my family now. I wanted them in my life all the time, not just on the occasional weekday and weekends.

There was only one thing left for me to do and that was to tell Rebecca about the imprint. We couldn't get to the point I wanted us to be at until absolutely everything was out in the open. I looked to my two best friends for advice.

"So when you told Ness and Claire that you'd imprinted on them, things worked out well, right?" I asked them both desperately.

"Err…not really, no," Quil said. "Claire remembered seeing me as a wolf when she was a kid. When I rescued her from a vampire years later, she connected the dots that I was the wolf. She handled that particular news okay, but when I told her I'd imprinted on her, she told me she didn't want me in her life."

I paled and Quil quickly added, "But that didn't really have anything to do with me or the imprint. Claire was still struggling with the sexual assault, which had happened only months before."

Quil looked pained as he remembered that dark phase in his imprint's life.

"Claire thought I only cared for her because of the imprint and that she was too damaged to love," Quil continued. "Emily managed to convince her that I was in love with her despite the imprint. We got back together later that same night."

One day away from each other didn't seem too bad. I could give Rebecca that if she needed it. But what if Rebecca decided she needed more time? What if she had finally had enough of my crazy world and told me to get the hell away from her? I looked at Jake frantically.

"You and Ness have always seemed happy. I take it she was okay with the imprint news?"

"Weell…" Jake said, dragging out the word and rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Are you serious?" I asked, beginning to panic.

"You know Ness. She has the memory of a steel trap. Unfortunately for me, right around the time she hit puberty, she remembered conversations from when she was inside the womb…you know, things like me offering to impregnate Bella per her father's wishes. She also began to have reoccurring nightmares about me…about how I looked seconds before I imprinted. If you remember, I had planned on…uh…destroying her. When Ness remembered everything, she took off."

Jake suddenly looked like he was going to throw up.

"How the fuck did you two end up together?" I asked.

I noticed Quil was staring equally transfixed at Jake. I knew when Ness was around 16…well, technically she had been about 6…she'd gone off to "explore the world." Jacob had never given us more details than that. We had seen very little of him until she came back. Jake pulled a pen off Seth's desk and started twirling it between his fingers.

"When Ness left, I…I barely survived. Turns out Ness didn't do so great away from me either. You see, Carlisle has a theory about vampires and their mates. Because of Ness's genes, he thinks she sorta imprinted on me too. It's not the same kind of imprinting we do. When vampires find a true mate, they're with them for the rest of their existence. If something happens to the mate, the other vampire becomes an empty shell. It's very hard for them to be away from each other. If Bella hadn't jumped off the cliffs all those years ago causing Edward to go to the Volturi, Edward once told me he'd been within months of returning to her on his own accord. He couldn't stay away from her. That's the way Ness feels about me. She's as strongly connected to me as I am to her. That's why it's hard for us to sometimes keep our hands off of each other."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the only reason," Quil snorted.

Jacob glared in response. "Anyway, luckily for me, after a lot of begging and pleading, Ness accepted me back in her life."

"Well…" I managed to say, even though my stomach was twisting nauseously. "I guess I'm pretty well fucked. Rebecca doesn't have an Aunt Emily or some freaky vampire imprint bond that will convince her to stay with me. She suffered years of depression. Don't you think I know I could have spared her that? If I had told her about the imprint from the beginning, maybe we could have been a family years ago."

"Tell her the truth," Jake said, getting up. "You've both made terrible mistakes. Once everything is out in the open, you'll be able to move on. No matter what my sister says or does, she'll get over it. You share a son and I'm pretty sure Becks loves you. Just tell her everything, including how you feel."

He moved to the office door. "I gotta go. Let me know how it goes."

Jake went into the garage. I heard him yell out over some very loud banging, "What the fuck Az, are you trying to kill that car or repair it?"

The door closed and the office became quiet again. I glanced at Quil who was looking at Azra through the office window that overlooked the shop floor. He was staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know what Azra's problem is anymore. He's been a complete dick ever since Nate Uley's birthday party."

"Did you ask him?" I wondered. Quil shrugged.

"I did, but you know Az. He's always been so quiet." Quil looked back at me. "I agree with Jake, by the way. Just tell Rebecca everything. You'll feel better once you have no more secrets."

I nodded and left the garage, cringing at the loud noise coming from Azra's work area. Brady and Seth were working on a car next to him, both sporting bright green ear plugs. I went out to my car and headed to Billy's house. Rebecca had invited me over for "family night." I knocked on the front door and she answered it with a bright smile.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hi yourself," I replied, reaching out to briefly touch her cheek, needing that contact. Rebecca was dressed casually in jeans and a low scoop neck sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing blue and pink stripped slipper socks. She looked like a mom and I had to admit, I'd never found her looking sexier.

"Embry!" Luke shouted out excitedly, racing down the hall to grab my hand. "You wanna watch Bolt? It's on TV right now."

It was a movie that came out way before Luke was born, but he seemed to love it. I'd already watched it with him once, but I didn't mind watching it again. We sat down as a family on the couch. I had Luke on one side of me. He was leaning against me with his head against my arm. Rebecca was sitting on the other side of me, mere inches away. I wanted to pull her to me so that I could feel her warmth, but I resisted. I didn't know if Rebecca or Luke would be receptive to the gesture and I wasn't about to press my luck.

"Where's Billy?" I asked. He usually joined us for family night.

"He went on a fishing trip with some friends," Rebecca explained. "He's going to be gone all weekend."

"Oh…" I replied, trying not to let my mind go rampant with images of Rebecca and me alone in a house. "Did he go with Charlie Swan?"

"No," Rebecca said with a frown. "He and Charlie don't hang out that much anymore."

"Really, why?" I asked in surprise. I hadn't been around the Rez very much since I'd moved back to the area. I had a feeling I missed out on a lot of stuff.

"He didn't say," Rebecca shrugged before saying in a voice too low for Luke to hear, "Reading between the lines, I think my dad might have had a thing for Sue Clearwater. When she chose Charlie over my dad, it strained their friendship."

I shook my head, "It's always a woman."

"Is that a fact?" Rebecca smirked, leaning over to poke me in the side. I returned the favor by hitting a ticklish spot under her ribcage. She shrieked with laughter and Luke joined in the fun, tickling her other side.

"St-Stop," Rebecca screamed in between bouts of laughter.

The doorbell rang, instantly stopping us from attacking her any further. I got up to answer the door, already smelling the pizza from where I stood. My stomach growled appreciatively as I paid the delivery guy for the food and brought it back to the table in front of the couch. Becks got up to get napkins and juice. We continued to watch the movie as we demolished the pizza. After we were done eating and the movie was over, Luke asked us if we could play Monopoly. I was worried that the game might be too advanced for his age, but an hour later, he had hotels on Park Place and Boardwalk. I was "in jail" for the 5th time and Rebecca had to declare bankruptcy so we pronounced Luke the winner.

"All right Luke, it's time for bed," Rebecca stated.

"Wait," Luke pleaded. He ran out of the room and came back with the game _Operation_. "Can we play one quick game? Please?"

"You want to play _Operation_ against a doctor?" Rebecca snickered. Luke looked hopefully between me and his mother, and I knew I'd play that game until we wore out the stupid buzzer as long as it made Luke smile.

"Yeah, we can play a quick game, as long as your mom says it's okay," I replied.

"Sure, sure," Rebecca said, still smiling. "Tell you what. I'll make us some popcorn while you two play."

With that, Rebecca got up and left me with my son. I had to admit. The kid was really good. He could remove the plastic organs from the game quickly without ever touching the metal sides which triggered the game buzzer. I knew I could have easily beaten him, but Luke had a secret weapon. Her name was Rebecca.

She came back into the room with a large bowl of popcorn. Quite a few times I got distracted by Rebecca licking her fingers while she was eating the salty snack. I wondered if she did it deliberately, because just as I was about to remove the "ribs" from the game, Rebecca dropped a kernel on the floor and had to pick it up, her low scooped neckline showing off her encased mounds. I ended up setting off the damn buzzer which allowed Luke to kick my ass.

"Hmm…" Rebecca said, sitting down next to me as Luke began to put his game away. "Make sure you never operate on me please."

She spoke this softly into my ear. Her delicious lavender and vanilla scent began to intoxicate me. If Luke wasn't in the room, I could have quite easily thrown her across the cushions of the couch.

"Thanks Embry for playing the games tonight." Luke's polite voice distracted me.

"You're welcome," I looked at him with a smile. "You did a really good job, especially with _Operation._ Maybe someday you'll grow up to be a doctor."

"Nah," Luke said, getting up off the floor where he'd been sitting. "I want to be a surfer like my da--"

Luke froze before looking at me with wide, unsure eyes.

"Like your dad," I finished his sentence. While a part of me ached at the idea of my son calling anyone but me, Dad, I was also grateful to Ian. Ian had helped Rebecca raise an outstanding child. Luke visibly relaxed when I referred to Ian as his father.

"Yeah," he replied, instantly grinning.

"So does that mean you want to move back to Hawaii someday?" I asked, trying to hide my sadness at the idea.

Luke shrugged, "Don't know."

"You know," Rebecca said, lightly touching my shoulder before continuing to speak, "Kids in La Push surf, Luke."

"Yeah?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure," Rebecca responded. "In fact, Embry used to be quite a good surfer when we were younger. Maybe he can show you where all the great breaks are once the weather gets warmer."

"That'd be awesome!" Luke replied, suddenly reminding me of the little boy he really was. Sometimes, Luke was too serious. I hated to see that in a kid his age. He looked at me with excitement flushing his cheeks.

"Would you take me surfing someday?" He asked.

"Sure," I replied. "As soon as the weather gets warmer."

Luke let out a whooping noise.

"All right mister. Time for bed," Rebecca ordered.

"Aww man," Luke replied, but he headed towards his bedroom anyway. He stopped before he went in and asked shyly, "Embry, would you tell me a story?"

My heart pounded with emotion as I nodded my head. I gave him a few minutes to change into his pajamas before I went into his room. I had to chuckle as I saw them. He had on a Superman t-shirt with matching long pants.

"Any particular story you want?" I asked. He just shook his head.

"Why don't I tell you some of the legends of our tribe?" I offered.

"Yeah, okay," Luke replied as he buried himself beneath the blankets.

I told him about the great chief, Taha Aki, who was known as the "Great Wolf." I explained how his descendants could turn into wolves when the need called. I left out the part of the Cold Ones; I didn't want to give him nightmares. I continued until Luke's eyes began to drift closed.

"Goodnight Luke," I whispered.

"Night Dad," Luke murmured before his breathing evened out and I knew he was fast asleep.

I couldn't move if I wanted to. Luke had called me "Dad" for the very first time. I watched his chest rise up and down for several minutes, completely overwhelmed. Finally, I leaned down and brushed his hair off his forehead, giving him a light kiss above his brow.

I got up and went into the living room where Rebecca was sitting, watching TV. She looked up and smiled at me in a way that made my heart beat erratically. I sat down next to her on the couch.

"How'd it go?" Rebecca asked.

"He called me Dad," I responded in complete awe.

"I'm so glad," Rebecca replied in a choked voice.

I looked over and saw a single tear run down her cheek. I reached up and went to brush it away with the back of my knuckles. As soon as my hand made contact with her skin something ignited in me, and I saw an answering flame in Rebecca's eyes.

"Embry, I--"

I didn't let her finish. I slid across the couch until I was right next to her.

"Becks…" I whispered before leaning down to lightly brush her lips with mine.

The initial contact made me long for more. I pressed my lips more firmly to hers. Rebecca's mouth parted and I felt her tongue dart out to touch the crease of my lips. I opened my mouth and her tongue immediately met mine.

Groaning, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her so that she was sitting across my lap. Our tongues continued to dance together. My hand went to the side of her neck, before it drifted to her shoulder. It soon slid slowly to her breast. Rebecca gasped in my mouth as I caressed her round firmness.

Pulling back, I whispered, "Is this okay?"

Rebecca nodded her head and I continued to mold her ripe bounty. I kissed her neck, sucking on the pulse I could feel beating wildly under the surface.

"I want…" I started to say but didn't finish.

Rebecca looked at me before getting off my lap. She stood in front of me for a moment, before reaching down for the hem of her shirt, whipping it off over her head. Without breaking eye contact, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. She let the straps slide down slowly, teasingly, before she let it fall to the floor along side her shirt.

"Is this what you wanted to see?" Rebecca asked coyly.

Moaning, I reached out and pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her and kissing the spot above her belly button. Straightening, I became eye level with her glorious flesh on display. I cupped her breasts in my hands, feeling their precious weight, before I reached up to play with the taut peaks. I took both points between my fingers and thumbs, pulling slightly on both before running my thumbs over them. It became a game. I'd pull then gently soothe. Rebecca's breath rapidly increased with each pull until she finally got fed up and grabbed the back of my head, pressing me against one of her waiting breasts.

Needing no further encouragement, I licked and teased her pebbled peak, lightly pulling at it with my teeth before sucking on it hard. Rebecca hands gripped my hair tightly as I increased the pressure of my suckling. She finally forced my head back and I looked up at her with desire burning in my eyes. She leaned down and pushed my shoulders until my back was against the couch. She unbuttoned her pants and let them drop to the floor before she climbed onto my lap, straddling me so that her panty covered mound was resting on my pant covered erection. I could smell her arousal, its scent driving me insane with need.

Rebecca leaned down and drew my bottom lip between hers, sucking hard which made me grab her ass, pressing her forcibly against my hardened member. Our tongues began to match the rhythm our hips were now doing. As I pushed against her, she rocked back and forth creating the most incredible friction. I reached behind her and spread her legs even farther, slipping my hands underneath her panties so that I could cup the flesh of her firm bottom. We continued to thrust against each other until Rebecca finally broke away from my mouth to throw her head back.

"Oh God Em!" She panted as her back arched and her eyes rolled in her head. She collapsed against me breathing heavily, her forehead resting against my shoulder. After a few minutes, I heard her giggle softly. I tugged gently on her hair so that her face was inches from mine.

"What?" I asked, mesmerized by the smirk on her lips.

"I was just thinking that I haven't dry humped someone on my father's couch since high school."

I snorted before pulling her close so that I could lightly kiss her lips.

"Are you comparing me to a high schooler?" I asked, pretending to be insulted.

"Oh there's definitely no comparison," Rebecca replied, kissing my chin before moving her lips to my ear and whispering, "You win hands down…every time."

I wrapped my arms around her, moving my head so that I could nuzzle her neck. I tasted the salty heavenliness of her skin and sucked lightly. Rebecca squirmed on my lap which made me groan in response. Pulling away from me, Rebecca shifted on my lap and looked down where she could clearly see the evidence of my arousal.

"Well, that won't do," she murmured reaching down to touch me through the material of my pants. I jerked in response.

"Wait," I said, finally remembering our son. "We shouldn't do this. Luke's in the other room."

"He can sleep through a hurricane, trust me," Rebecca said, reaching for my pants again. I stalled her hands.

"I think we should take this slower," I replied, though I seriously didn't know what the fuck I was objecting to.

Rebecca bit her lip as her cheeks filled with mortification. She slid off my lap so that she was on her knees in front of me. She reached down and grabbed her shirt off the floor, holding it against her naked chest.

"You don't…" Rebecca started to say, tears forming in her eyes. "You don't want me?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked in complete surprise.

"Am I not sexy enough for you?" Rebecca questioned, sitting back on her heels. "Is my body not appealing to you anymore or something?"

"Are you insane?" I wondered. Her body was perfect. It was curvier than the last time I had seen her naked. Motherhood had done wonders to her shape making her breasts fuller and her hips more gently rounded. I could worship her body all day.

"Does this feel like I don't want you?" I asked, putting her hand against my erection. "Do you think I would get this reaction if I didn't find you the sexiest woman alive?"

"Then why don't you want this?" Rebecca asked, her fingers grasping me through my pants.

"I just…we have things to talk about." I tried to remember what was so important to talk to her about. Oh yeah! I needed to tell her about imprinting.

"I don't want to talk," Rebecca stated, reaching up to undo my pants. This time I let her. I couldn't very well deny my imprint.

Rebecca had me free of my pants and briefs in seconds. I lifted my hips and she finished taking my bottoms off. She reached forward and gently touched the tip of my erection, before letting her fingers whisper down the length of me. Her other hand moved up and down my thigh, her nails scraping along my flesh sensually. Her main focus was my arousal which was throbbing painfully in her hand.

She gripped my base with one hand before moving her other hand to cup the sensitive sack below. She cupped the area gently, but I need more. I pressed her hand harder to me and groaned when she began to tease the area with her talented fingers.

Before I could guess her next move, Rebecca bent down and licked the very tip of me. From there she moved down the length of me with her mouth before moving back to the head. She was gentle and rough. She'd lightly run her teeth over some areas before soothing it over with her tongue. No area was left unexplored.

Rebecca sat back for a moment, looking at me while running her nails up both thighs again. She finally returned to the area that craved her the most and placed her mouth over the head of my desire. She couldn't get very far due to my size, but what she did manage to cover sent me almost to the edge. With her tongue assisting her, she began to pleasure me. Her hands also continued to tease my arousal, moving up and down in time with her head. I didn't last long. I gave her a warning, but instead of backing away, she grabbed me tighter in her hands.

"Becks, I'm coming," I warned. She moaned in response and feeling the vibrations made me explode in her mouth. I heard ringing in my ears as I soared over the edge. Rebecca continued to milk me until I was soft. She released me and reached for my pants.

"Em, your phone keeps ringing," she said as she handed me my pants.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her on my lap, kissing her plump lips. I sighed as the ringing persisted. Who the hell could be ringing at 10 PM? Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I looked at the caller I.D. Shit! It was the hospital.

"Yeah," I answered, running my fingers through Rebecca's hair.

"Dr. Call, this is Nurse Packett," a voice stated. "There's been a terrible accident on the expressway. A semi-truck hit a bus full of tourists. We're calling in all available medical staff to come in and assist in the ER."

Fuck! I glanced at Rebecca and felt my climatic euphoria dissipate. I needed to go in.

"Okay, I'll be in as soon as I can," I replied before hanging up the phone. I glanced at Rebecca who was looking suddenly embarrassed. She'd just given me an incredible present and now I was taking off.

"Hey," I said, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her to me so that I could kiss her lips again. I pulled away so that our foreheads could touch. "I've got to go. There's been an accident and they need help in the ER."

"Sure," Rebecca nodded, not quite meeting my eyes. "I understand."

"Becks, there's something we still need to discuss."

Her eyes widened. "Something bad?"

"I…" I wasn't sure. She'd either take the news of the imprint very poorly or very well. I responded, "I don't think it's bad. I just need to tell you about something. It's about being a wolf."

"Oh," Rebecca nodded, seeming to relax. "So what is it?"

"Something that's going to take more time to explain than I have right now," I replied, looking at my watch. "Can you get someone to babysit Luke tomorrow? I thought maybe you and I could go out on a date and we could talk then."

"Yeah, sure," Rebecca responded, her eyes lighting up. She seemed to glow suddenly.

"I'll come pick you up and we can go to dinner in Port Angeles."

"Why don't I save you a trip and meet you there?" Rebecca offered.

"Okay," I replied, leaning in to kiss her lips one more time before standing up. I refastened my pants and headed out the door.

Tomorrow would determine our relationship. The truth would either bring us together or destroy us completely. I grew nervous as I drove away.

Fate had never treated me very kindly.

_A/N – The idea of Billy being jealous that Charlie and Sue ended up together came from an actual quote from SM that I found on the Twilight Lexicon. _

_That was my first attempt at writing a lemon like that so let me know what you thought. **Please review! **Also, if you get a moment, check out my profile page. I have a poll up asking for your opinion as to what the title of the kids' story should be._


	28. Let It Be

_A/N – Chapter title credit goes to The Beatles. _

**Chapter 28 – Let It Be**

Embry's POV

I adjusted my tie nervously as I waited for Rebecca to arrive for our first date. I was taking her to a nice restaurant in Port Angeles and decided to dress up for the occasion. Looking into the mirror, I inspected myself carefully. I had on my best pair of dark pants along with a long sleeve dress shirt and patterned tie. I couldn't wear a sports coat without overheating.

I was going to have to seriously make a more conscious effort to stop phasing. I was already technically retired from the pack. I had no reason to continue turning into a wolf anymore. And if everything went tonight as I hoped, I was going to get the chance to grow old with my imprint and our son.

I heard a knock on my apartment door and went to answer it. Rebecca's lavender and vanilla scent hit me before I even laid eyes on her. When I actually saw her, she took my breath away. Rebecca's hair was pulled up on top of her head in a messy bun, emphasizing her long, kissable neck. She was wearing a white silk blouse with a black leather shirt, dark stockings, and black leather knee-high boots.

"You look beautiful," I whispered. I noticed her eyes were running over me too.

"So do you," she replied, a soft smile appearing on her lips. Cupping her cheek lightly, I bent down and brushed my lips over hers. Rebecca went to deepen the kiss, but I pulled back with a light chuckle.

"We have reservations." I reminded her.

"Oh, right," Rebecca smirked.

"C'mon," I said, closing the apartment door and locking it before I grabbed Rebecca's hand and led her to my car. I walked her over to the passenger side and opened the door for her, kissing her hand before letting her go. As soon as she was settled, I shut the door and got in my side of the car.

"So who's watching Luke tonight? Rachel?" I asked as I put the car into drive and we headed for downtown.

"No, he's with Jake's family. Ness offered to watch him overnight. It's his first sleepover," Rebecca said, turning her head in my direction with a smile on her face.

"I thought Jake was up in Canada."

"They helped the Cullens move in yesterday but came back this afternoon."

"Ah," I replied. "So was Luke excited?"

Rebecca laughed. "Yeah, I think he really looks up to Gabe. Gabe promised to show him some new video game that just came out."

Rebecca frowned for a minute before saying, "I feel really bad for Jake's kids. I get that Meena and Gabe are a little different given that they're part vampire and everything, but they just seem so lonely. It must have been hard on them growing up. They only had each other."

"The Cullens showered them with love," I assured her.

"Still…" Rebecca shrugged. "I want Luke to form bonds with them. Family is important."

"Yeah, it is," I replied, glancing at her. She was biting her lip, lost in thought.

I pulled into the restaurant and went around to open her door for her. She smiled and we walked into the building holding hands. I felt like a giddy teenager on my first date. Once we were seated and our food was ordered, Rebecca looked at me as though she wanted to say something but then kept closing her mouth.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"My dad said something the other week to Luke. He mentioned that your dad wanted to be in your life but couldn't. Have you had contact with Joshua Uley?"

"Oh…" I said, glancing uncomfortably at the table.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business," Rebecca stated quickly.

"No, that's okay." I shook my head. "My dad wasn't Joshua Uley as I originally thought. We figured my dad had to be a direct descendant from the last Quileute pack for me to be a wolf. It turns out we were wrong."

"Who was in that pack?"

"Levi Uley, Quil Ateara I, and…um…Ephraim Black."

"Wait…" Rebecca said with a frown, "So that would have meant you thought my dad could have possibly fathered you? You think my dad would have cheated on my mom?"

Well shit, this wasn't how I wanted to start our date.

"We all wondered, including Jacob," I responded defensively.

Rebecca sat back in her chair with cute scowl on her face. "Who's your dad then if he's not a descendant of the other pack?"

"Uh…as it turns out, my father was Harry Clearwater," I replied.

"What?" Rebecca asked, her mouth dropping in surprise. I went on to tell her about my parents' affair and how my dad was told to stay out of my life.

"Wow," Rebecca finally responded after I got done explaining everything. "And they never thought you had the right to know?"

"Apparently not," I shrugged, trying to play it off like it didn't matter. But it did matter…it mattered very much.

"Oh Em…" Rebecca said, laying her hand palm up on the table. I reached over and took it in mine.

"I've come to grips with it," I shrugged.

"Are you sure about that?" Rebecca asked softly.

I looked into her eyes and knew I couldn't pretend everything was all right. Not with her.

"No, I'm not okay with it," I replied. "It pisses me off actually. All those years I'd go into Harry's store and he'd ask me about my day or give me free stuff, and he never once told me what our relationship really was. Why couldn't he have given me some kind of clue?"

"I don't know." Rebecca shook her head in sympathy. "Parents do really stupid things for their children. Maybe it was Harry's way of protecting you. If he kept quiet, then at least he could see you grow up and watch out for you."

"Yeah, I guess."

"What about Leah and Seth?" Rebecca asked. "What were their reactions?"

"I haven't told them yet," I admitted.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. They have this image of their dad as some kind of saint. I don't want to ruin that."

"And in the meantime, they're missing out on getting to know you as their brother," Rebecca retorted.

"I know, but I have Kayla Marie," I said, chuckling as I thought about my spunky half-sister. "We've gotten close over the past few months."

Rebecca squeezed my hand and smiled gently at me.

"It's ironic," she said. "You always seemed so…I don't know, lost or something when we were growing up. Rach, Jake, and I always tried to make you feel like apart of our family, but you still seemed so alone. Now, you have two half sisters and a half brother."

"Yep," I joked. "I have more family than I know what to do with."

"And you have Luke and me," Rebecca added. "We're your family."

"Yeah…you are," I agreed, lifting Rebecca's hand to my mouth, kissing each of her knuckles in turn.

"You…uh…you should tell Leah and Seth t-though," Rebecca said breathlessly, her eyes heating with desire.

Our moment was interrupted by our food being delivered and we switched the topic to something less charged.

We were waiting for the waiter to come back with my credit card when Rebecca asked, "When I spoke to you years ago, you seemed convinced Joshua was your father. How'd you rule out my dad as a candidate?"

Oh shit. Here it was. The moment I was dreading.

"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about tonight," I replied. "You see--"

"Here's your card back, sir." The waiter suddenly appeared with my credit card.

"Thanks," I muttered grabbing it before I loosened my tie in frustration. I looked at Becks and sighed. A noisy restaurant wasn't the place I wanted to have this conversation anyway.

"Look," I said. "Do you want to go back to my place and have some coffee? We can probably talk more privately there."

"Okay, sure," Rebecca responded.

We got up and made our way to my car. I drove us back to the apartment, the tension rising with each mile we passed.

"I'm sorry if I said anything to offend you," Rebecca finally said, biting her lip nervously as we arrived at our destination. I shut off the motor before turning to her.

"You didn't say anything to offend me, Becks. The truth is, there's something I should have told you awhile ago, and I'm not sure how you'll react."

"Oh God, that sounds really ominous." Rebecca tried to put on a brave face, but I could see a gleam of tears in her eyes.

"Shit," I muttered. "Please don't cry. I didn't mean to freak you out. Look, why don't we go inside and have a cup of coffee and I'll explain everything."

Rebecca sniffed and we got out of the car. I grabbed her hand and kissed her palm, watching as she visibly relaxed. We got into my apartment and I made us both a cup of coffee, before carrying it into the living room and setting both cups on the table. They sat untouched as I pulled my tie off and undid the first two buttons of my shirt, watching Rebecca's eyes follow my every move. I ran my hand nervously through my hair before I finally reached down to grab Rebecca's hand.

"Okay…you asked me why I was so convinced that Joshua Uley was my dad and not your father or Quil's, right?"

Rebecca nodded her head but didn't say anything.

"There's something that wolves do. It's called imprinting. When I saw you at Jake's wedding rehearsal 13 years ago, I imprinted on you. That's how I knew I wasn't related to you, Jake, or Quil, you know, seeing as you and Quil are second cousins. If either of your fathers was my dad, I couldn't have imprinted on you."

I sat back feeling slightly relieved that I'd finally confessed everything. I looked at Rebecca waiting for her response, but she just stared at me blankly.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "None of that makes sense to me. What's imprinting and what do you mean you imprinted on me?"

Dammit! I needed to take this slowly.

"Imprinting is our way of finding the person we're supposed to be with. I knew when I looked at you that you were my soul mate."

"Oh…" Rebecca said before smiling slightly. "That doesn't sound so bad."

I chuckled happily before moving in closer to her. I went to kiss her, but she held her hand up so I kissed that instead. She shook her head with an adorable little smirk on her lips and sat back.

"So explain it. What happens? How do you know I'm your soul mate?"

"When we imprint, it's like our gravity shifts and our soul mates become the center of our universe. They're the most important person to us. Being around our imprints makes us happy. We're connected to one another."

"Why do you imprint though? I mean, can't you just ask a girl out on a date and find out she's the right one for you that way?"

I chuckled at that. "Imprinting is so much more complex and sacred than that. It's not about dating some random girl. Imprinting is about finding the person we were made to be with. I was designed for you. Now as to why we imprint, some people believe that it has to do with genetics. A wolf imprints on the person who'll help pass on what's needed to make stronger wolves in future generations."

Rebecca paled at that. "Is that what you believe? Did you need me to produce Luke so that he could become some superwolf or something? He's got the gene on both sides of his family."

"No!" I grabbed her face in between my hands. "I don't even know if Luke will become a wolf. I said _some_ wolves believe that theory. I personally believe that imprinting is a shortcut to finding our soul mate. I've wanted you since I was 13. Imprinting just confirmed what I already knew. You and I have always been meant to be together."

Rebecca pulled away from me, got up, and began to pace.

"You said that being around the imprint makes the wolf happy. And you said years ago that it was hard for you to be away from me. Does…"

"What?" I asked when she stopped speaking.

"Does that work both ways? Would I have felt a longing to be with you too?"

"Yes," I replied quietly.

Rebecca stopped pacing long enough to stare at me for a moment before she resumed her frantic walk.

"When I told you to leave me alone in Hawaii, I felt like I had ripped my heart out. Was that because of this imprint? Because of this connection we have?"

"Most likely," I confirmed, though I secretly hoped that it was because she had fallen in love with me.

"So…" Her voice broke with emotion. "So all this time I was miserable and it was because I wasn't with you? I felt like I was going out of my mind for years, because I just wanted to hear your voice, even if it was only for a minute. Now you're telling me it was because you imprinted on me?"

I got up and hugged her.

"I'm sorry," was all I could get out. My heart broke as she shook her head.

"D-Do you even care for me? Or do you only act like you want me because of the imprint and because of Luke?"

I pulled away from her and grabbed her shoulders gently. "Haven't you been listening to anything I've said to you? I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you since I turned 13. That was years before I imprinted."

Rebecca didn't even seem to hear me. She covered her face with her hands.

"All those years of misery…"

I pulled her to me again and hugged her tightly, whispering over and over, "I'm sorry."

"So does every wolf imprint or is it just you?" Rebecca muttered through her fingers.

"Uh…it's supposed to be rare, but most of the pack has imprinted."

"Who?" Rebecca asked, pulling her hands down but still not meeting my eyes.

"Um…there's Sam and Emily Uley, Kim and Jared Becknell, Claire and Quil, their daughter Kayley and Brady Yarnell. There's Lindsey and Collin Paden, Livy and Mac Pachena, Manda and Rafe Elwah, and Ryan Spencer and Sam and Emily's daughter Gracie. And then there's your family."

"My family?" Rebecca gasped.

"Yeah. Paul imprinted on Rachel. Devlin imprinted on Kim and Jared's daughter Hanna. There's also Jake and Ness, and Sam Uley's son, Nate, imprinted on Meena."

"Paul imprinted on my twin?" Rebecca squeaked.

I nodded.

"And my nephew imprinted? Devlin's only 14. And what about Meena, she's only 12. I mean, I know she's physically closer to 18, but they're both children."

"Well, imprinting knows no age," I remarked lightly.

"What about Jake? When did he imprint on Ness? Was it when she hit puberty or some time after?"

Shit! I cursed the fact that we couldn't lie to our imprints. Not that I wanted to lie to Rebecca, but this was definitely not a conversation I wanted to have.

I took a deep breath and explained, "Jake imprinted on Ness minutes after she was born."

"What?" Rebecca said in a shocked voice, taking a few steps away from me.

"Don't," I begged. "I know it sounds really fucked up, but when a wolf imprints on a child there's nothing sick or twisted about it. Imprinting hits different phases. In Quil and Jake's cases, they didn't even realize they were in love with their imprints until after they became of age. Until then, they treated their imprints like little sisters and best friends. Trust me, I had to share their brains when I used to patrol with them. There was nothing perverted about what they felt. Ness's father can read minds and he's a vampire. If Jake had had one sick thought about Ness when she was underage, Edward would have killed him."

"Quil imprinted on Claire when she was a kid?" Rebecca was looking decidedly pale. Fuck! Probably should have left Quil out of it. That brilliant realization was confirmed moments later when Rebecca picked up her coat and purse and headed for the front door.

"Becks, please don't leave me," I pleaded.

"Just stay there," she ordered. "I need to talk to Rachel."

With that, she went through the front door and slammed it on her way out. I wanted to cry. That didn't go over like I wanted at all. I went into my bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed with my face in my hands. I heard Rebecca's voice drift up to me.

I lived in a second floor apartment. Rebecca must have been standing right under my window. I lifted my head and shamelessly eavesdropped.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I heard her snap.

"I wasn't allowed to," Rachel's muffled voice replied.

"But you're my twin! Dammit, you should have told me!"

I could hear Rachel huff through the phone, "Well, apparently we're not as close as we thought we were, otherwise you would have told me seven years ago that you slept with Embry. And you would have told me three years ago that you found out you had his kid!"

I wanted to go down and yank the phone out of Rebecca's hand and tell Rachel to back the fuck off. Rebecca was scared and feeling disturbed, and it was my fault. Someone needed to write a "Book for Dummies" on how to explain imprinting to your mate.

"I'm so confused Rach," Rebecca whispered.

"What's to be confused about?" Rachel replied. "You've just found out that you have a soul mate. So what the hell are you doing calling me? Please tell me you're not going to be stupid and throw Embry's love away. You're never going to feel complete or love anyone like you love Embry. He's your other half Becks! He'll worship you for the rest of your life. What the hell is there to be confused about? Do you have any clue how lucky we are to have guys who love us that much?"

Rebecca was so silent I was sure there was no hope left. I covered my face again with my hands and did my best to tune out the rest of their conversation. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt her soft hands on mine. Looking up, I saw her kneeling in front of me, her tear-stained face staring back at me.

"All those years," she whispered achingly. "All that time, I wanted to be with you. I used to come up with any excuse I could to come back to La Push so I could see you. I used to milk Rachel and Jacob for any information I could get about you. I thought there was something wrong with me because I needed you so much and I never understood why. When I told you to leave me alone in Hawaii, do you have any idea of what that did to me? I used to spend hours thinking of different ways to hurt myself. If I hadn't been pregnant, I probably would have. I couldn't even get out of bed half the time. If you had just told me…if you'd just explained--"

Suddenly, Rebecca got angry. She curled up her fists and began hitting my chest. It wouldn't have normally hurt, but knowing the reasoning behind the punch, I felt like I was being beaten with a hammer. And each time she hit me, more tears would begin to flow from her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you give me a choice? I'll tell you why you didn't! Because you're a stupid, stubborn asshole, that's why!"

Her hits became more aggressive as she sobbed. When she went to smack my face, I grabbed her and threw her onto my bed, her wrists shackled in my one hand above her head. My leg went across both of hers to stop her from kicking out.

"You'll only hurt yourself," I told her painfully, my insides in turmoil. "If I'd told you years ago that I had imprinted, would you have left Ian?"

"I don't know," Rebecca sniffed. "I-If I had known that Luke was yours and not Ian's then yes, I probably would have. Maybe I would have left him regardless. I needed you so much. But we'll never know what I would have done, because you never told me all the facts. You should have told me, Embry!"

"Anytime I came close to telling you, you always ran off to Ian," I explained desperately. "I had to put your happiness before my own needs. I thought Ian was what you wanted."

Tears continued to pour down Rebecca's cheeks. She rubbed one cheek against my arm.

"What a pair we are," she whispered. "We've both made such terrible mistakes that cost us years when we could have been together. M-Maybe it's a sign that we aren't meant to be together after all."

I felt my heart plummet at the hopeless look on Rebecca's face.

"No…don't give up on me," I begged. "Please. I need you…"

I let go of her arms and buried my face into her neck, breathing in her sweet intoxicating scent. I kissed the area under her chin.

"Please," I murmured against her skin. I felt her head shake and I became painfully ill.

"I loved you so much then Embry," Rebecca admitted tearfully.

"What?" I leaned up to look into her face in shock. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "You loved me?"

"I didn't even know it until you walked away from me that day in Hawaii. That was when I realized that all the confusion and pain I'd felt for years was due to the fact that I had fallen in love with you. And I couldn't do anything about it because I knew I needed to stay with Ian. I used to lie in bed for days going over and over our conversation we'd had that day. I would cry myself to sleep when I thought back to when I asked you to be my friend and you said no. I used to think, if only he said yes, I could be talking to him right this minute. I'd stare at the phone for hours and pray that you would call me."

"I'm so sorry I hurt you," I said remorsefully.

She deserved that apology. Yes, she had hurt me, but it could have all been avoided if I'd just said something to her years ago. She was right. We were quite the pair, completely fucked up and perfect for each other. Now I just had to convince her of that, because I couldn't live without her.

Rebecca reached up and took both of my cheeks in her hands. "I'm sorry too. I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry for hurting you so much when you came out to Hawaii. I'm sorry that my actions caused you to miss out on so much of Luke's life. I'm sorry for so much. As long as I live, I'll never forgive myself for all the wrongs I've done to you."

"Rebecca, we both fucked up. There are so many, "what ifs" we could agonize over, but it won't change anything. We're together now though," I said, before leaning close to her ear and telling her in a determined tone, "And this time I'm not letting you go."

Rebecca froze for a minute, before she wrapped her arms around my neck and drew my head down to hers.

Kissing me on the side of my face, she murmured with her lips grazing my cheek, "Promise?"

Groaning, I moved my head so that our lips could meet. It was soft, yet firm. It was perfect. A perfect kiss for a new beginning.

I continued to rain light kisses on her lips until Rebecca finally opened her mouth and caught my bottom lip in between her teeth. She ran her tongue along her prey, causing me to moan in pleasure. When she released me, I opened my mouth more fully, darting my tongue past her full lips. Our tongues began to caress each other's.

As our kiss deepened, our bodies shifted so that she was more on her back and I was leaning over her side. I wrapped my arm around her, letting my hand drift to her leather skirt. I grabbed her bottom and pulled her to me so that we were both on our sides. Rebecca whimpered sensually when she felt my need for her. I ran my hand down her thigh, past the hem of her skirt before going underneath the fabric. My hand moved up past her knee, its destination her curvy flesh. My hand stopped when I felt straps. Pulling away, I looked at her wide-eyed.

"Are you wearing a garter belt?" I asked hopefully.

Rebecca flushed slightly. "Yes."

Oh fuck yeah! Like a kid on Christmas, I moved down to her skirt and lifted the hem up slowly. It was like unwrapping a present. Rebecca had on black stockings, a black lacy garter, and black silky underwear. Sweet God! I moved my head and kissed the area to the side of one of the straps. Rebecca laughed seductively.

"I take it you like what I'm wearing?" She asked, her breath hitching as I ran a few fingers along the top of the stocking, heading towards her inner thigh.

"Yeah," I replied. "I like it very much. Can you sit up for me?"

Rebecca did as I asked. Sitting up myself, I leaned in and kissed her neck, leaving feathery kisses along her pulse line. Rebecca moved her head and gave me better access to the area. While I continued to lick and suck on her skin, I reached around her and unbuttoned her skirt, pulling the zipper down. I moved my head and licked the rim of her ear before tugging on it gently.

"Take your hair down," I whispered.

Rebecca reached up and released her hair from its hold. I lifted up my hand and threaded my fingers through her silky strands. God, how I wanted her.

"Lay down for me again," I whispered and once again, Rebecca did as I instructed.

I quickly dispensed with the skirt, before I placed myself between her thighs. I began to run my hands up her legs, first touching the high heeled leather boots, then her stockings, until I finally reached the exposed skin of her upper legs. I laid down on my stomach, kissing first one inner thigh than the other. Rebecca's breathing became more erratic.

I placed myself at her very center, breathing in the sweet scent of her arousal. I couldn't get enough of it. The wolf in me was reacting to my imprint, her fragrance like heroin to an addict. I pressed my nose against her panty covered mound, moving it back and forth as I continued to take in deep breaths. Rebecca grabbed my head and held me to her. My nose brushed against the nub of her desire, which was protruding through her silky panties. I pulled on it with my teeth.

"Oh God," Rebecca murmured, one of her hands letting go of my head to grab the pillow above her head. I continued teasing her and could feel her wetness begin to increase. It wasn't enough. I sat back and Rebecca whimpered in protest.

"Take off your top," I ordered.

With shaky hands, Rebecca complied, quickly shedding the silk blouse she was wearing. I sat back and admired her luscious breasts encased in a white lacy bra. I could see her nipples standing out. I wanted to suckle them, to tease them with my lips, but I had other plans. I reached out and ran one finger over one of the turgid peaks.

"Do you want me to touch you here?" I asked.

"Yes," Rebecca sighed.

"Show me what you want," I told her, grabbing both of her hands and placing them against her breasts.

Rebecca's hands drifted to her hardened pebbles. She began to run her hands over them before she took both points in her fingers and began to pull. She moaned in response to her own administrations. It was one of the most erotic sights I had ever seen. I returned to her garter belt and took one strap in my mouth, pulling on it slightly before releasing it. It snapped against Rebecca's skin and I immediately soothed it over with my tongue. I needed more. I released both straps and removed the belt along with her panties. The boots and stockings I left on.

I returned to her core, running my fingers along the plump lips there before touching over her extended desire. While I teased it, I shifted my body so that I was next to her left breast. I moved her hand out of the way and began to suckle her through the lace of her bra. Her hand moved to my head to hold me to her. My fingers moved on their own accord to her womanly entrance. I inserted a finger, rocking it back and forth.

"More," Rebecca demanded and I inserted another.

I increased the pressure, moving in and out. I knew the moment I hit her pleasure spot. Rebecca's eyes dilated before rolling in her head. I continued to touch there until I felt her clench around me as she erupted in climatic release. Removing my hand, I brought my fingers to my mouth, licking her sweet nectar as she watched.

"Embry," she spoke in a shaky voice, reaching out and touching my hardened arousal through my pants. "Take off your clothes."

It was a command I was happy to oblige. I shed my shirt, pants, and undergarments, quickly returning to her side. She reached out and touched my sensitive tip before running her hand over the length of my shaft. I sat back and allowed her to touch me this way until the pleasure became too much. I reached out and took her hand away. She mewed in disappointment.

"Not this way," I said, moving my hands behind her to unhook her bra, quickly removing it.

I kissed one breast than the other, running my tongue over one rigid point. I moved between her thighs and placed myself at her entrance. Rebecca immediately wrapped her legs around me, the stockings she was still wearing creating an incredible friction against my sensitized skin. I felt the heel of her boot against my ass. I couldn't believe how turned on I was right at that moment. I slowly entered her, not stopping until I was at her hilt.

"This is the way it should be between us," I murmured, running my tongue over the crease of her mouth. "This is how it should always be between us. Us, joined together, just like it was destined."

"Yes," Rebecca agreed, her breath catching as I began to move.

Our pace wasn't rushed. We took our time loving each other. But soon, the tension became too much and I increased the tempo. Rebecca answered my every thrust and I soon felt her spasm around me.

"Oh God, I love you Embry," Rebecca cried out as she reached her peak.

Hearing her say those words…words I had wanted to hear from her for over half my life, sent me over the edge and with a few frenzied thrusts, I exploded inside her. I continued to convulse as wave after wave of pleasure hit me. Her body captured the very life of me and drained me. I collapsed against her, rolling on my side so I wouldn't crush her, but keeping myself still connected to her.

Burying my face into her neck, I mumbled breathlessly, "Love you…so much."

I felt tears against my skin and pulled back with a frown.

"I can't believe you still love me," Rebecca whispered. I kissed her lips.

"I never stopped, not once since I was 13," I responded.

"I love you too," Rebecca said. "I love you so much."

I felt myself begin to harden inside her again. Her words were like an aphrodisiac. Rebecca's eyes widened in response. We rolled until I was lying on my back. My hands went to her thighs, resting above her stockings. She began to rock on top of me, our movements perfectly matched. I found myself delving deeper into her with each rhythmic push until I finally went over the edge and my body stiffened in release. Rebecca's body arched over me as she soared with me.

As we began to climb down from our mutual heaven, Rebecca exhaustedly lifted herself off me. Sitting on the bed, she reached down and pulled her boots and stockings off. I reached for the sheets and pushed them down. Rebecca crawled next to me and turned on her side facing away from me. She reached for my hand and drew it over her so that her back was pressed firmly against my chest. I let go of her only to cover her in a sheet. I quickly returned and pulled her back against me.

"Just like we're supposed to be," I tiredly reminded her. Rebecca kissed my hand and we drifted off to sleep.

_**A/N – All right people, I think there's one more chapter left and then the Epilogue. Please leave me a review…I'm still trying to reach my 2000 goal. ;)**_


	29. Finally

_A/N – Sorry for the delay. I had a slight case of writer's block, and I'm an Olympics junkie. I've been watching them nonstop since they stared._

* * *

_Preface_

_How did I get here? One minute I was ecstatically happy, the next I was terrified of losing my imprint. Jasper's hands tightened around my throat squeezing off my airway, but all I could see was Rebecca's terrified face. I heard Alice and Jake's voices, but they were muffled and didn't make sense. None of what they had to say mattered anyway. If Rebecca died, I'd beg Jasper for death. _

**Chapter 29 – Finally**

Embry's POV

Sheer unadulterated bliss. That's how I felt when I woke up after a night of incredible lovemaking with my imprint. I couldn't even call it a night of hot sex, because it was so much more than that. Rebecca and I had _loved_ each other. And more than once. I'd woken her once in need, another time she had woken me up. The whole night had been utterly fantastic.

I rolled over on the mattress to pull Rebecca to me, but the space next to me was empty. Remembering another time I'd woken up to find Rebecca missing from my bed sent me into a blind panic. I jumped off the bed, quickly grabbing my pants where they laid on the floor. Pulling them on, I headed out of the bedroom and hurried towards the front door. No fucking way was she doing this to me again.

A voice inside my head tried to reason with me. Rebecca said she loved me. She wouldn't have left me again. It's not like there was a note on the pillow this time stating she didn't want me.

But where the fuck was she?

As soon as I put my hand on the door handle, I felt a sharp tug at the back of my spine causing me to freeze. Taking in a deep breath, I finally started to pay attention to my senses. Rebecca was still here. She was in the apartment. I turned around and followed the pull I felt to my imprint. I went into the living room and stopped.

Through the open French doors of my living room, I could see Rebecca standing on my apartment's balcony. She was wearing nothing but my dress shirt from the night before. She had a glass of water in one hand, while the other hand grasped the patio railing. Her head was tilted up as she let the fall morning mist saturate her face. I felt my shoulders relax as I realized that things weren't the same as before. All the demons and uncertainties of the past faded away, and I was filled with an inner peace I had never experienced in my life. Rebecca was here to stay. We were going to be together forever.

Walking over to her, I wrapped my arm around her waist. She jumped in surprise before leaning back against me, setting her water on the table next to her. She angled her head towards mine looking at me with the sweetest expression I'd ever seen. Cupping her cheek in my hand, I bent down and kissed her lips gently.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked as she snuggled in closer to me. She wrapped both arms around me tightly. I rested my cheek against her head and sighed contentedly.

"No offense," Rebecca replied, "but sleeping with you is like being in bed with a space heater. I was beginning to feel really lightheaded so I thought I'd get some air."

"Ah," I said, pulling away so that I could lightly kiss the tip of her nose. "About that. I'm going to stop phasing now. After awhile, my body will return to a normal temperature."

"Stop phasing?" Rebecca questioned. "But doesn't that mean you'll grow old? My dad told me you don't age unless you stop being a wolf."

"Yeah, that's true," I replied before adding, "I want to grow old with you."

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked, biting her lip uncertainly.

"Becks, you're all I've ever wanted in my life. Trust me. Nothing would make me happier than someday sitting on a porch surrounded by our grandchildren. I'd prefer not to look like a 30-something-year-old when I do."

Rebecca frowned for a moment before smiling. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her legs went around my waist as she began to kiss my neck.

"I love you so much," she whispered, pulling back to kiss me on the lips.

My tongue instantly sought hers as I brought her lower half against my sudden arousal. I carried her back into my bedroom and spent the next hour showing her exactly how much I loved and needed her. We soon fell into an exhausted sleep. A couple of hours later I felt a gentle nudging on my shoulder.

"Em," Rebecca murmured.

"Hmm," I responded, opening one tired eye to look at her.

"I need to get going."

My arm that was currently around her waist automatically tightened. I pulled her so that she was lying on top of me.

"Why?" I actually pouted. My lower lip even jutted out. Rebecca smirked before taking my protruding lip in her mouth and sucking on it. I tried to gather her closer, but she pulled back.

"I need to go get Luke and I still have to stop by my dad's house first for a change of clothes. I don't really want to explain what the walk of shame is to our son."

"Can I come with you?" I asked. "I'd love to see Luke."

Rebecca kissed my chin. "Of course. You know you never have to ask to see him."

I smiled at that. However, as much as I was eager to see our son, my first concern was the needs of my imprint.

"How about if we take a quick shower and get something to eat, and then we can go see Luke?" I suggested.

"Shower together?" Rebecca asked, her voice filling with desire.

In response, I picked her up and carried her bridal style into the bathroom. Once the water was the right temperature we stepped in. I grabbed the shampoo and began to massage it into Rebecca's hair. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as my fingers soothed her scalp. I made sure her hair was washed thoroughly before I bent down to kiss her lips. Her mouth quickly opened to allow me access. I shivered as our tongues collided together.

"God, I love you," I muttered against her lips. "I want to be with you forever." Kiss. "I want to wake up every morning and see your face next to mine." Kiss. "I want to…" Kiss. "Marry you."

"What?" Rebecca wondered, breaking away from me with wide eyes.

Shit! What did I just say?

"Did you just ask me to marry you?" Rebecca asked, stunned.

"No…I mean I did…but…shit, I didn't mean to ask you so soon," I stumbled.

"Thirteen years is hardly too soon," Rebecca whispered. It took me a moment to realize she meant it had been 13 years since the imprint.

"Is that a yes?" I asked hopefully.

"Ask me properly," Rebecca said with a hint of a smile.

"Rebecca, I love you. I don't ever want to be without you again. Will you marry me?"

With tears in her eyes, Rebecca responded, "Yes."

I brought her to me and kissed her hard on the lips. Our passion soon spun out of control and before I knew it, Rebecca was plastered against the shower wall with her legs wrapped around my waist. I entered her swiftly, sucking on the sensitive skin of her neck as we moved together frantically.

"I love you Embry," Rebecca shouted as she reached her peak. I soon joined her, my body exploding inside her warm haven.

We finished showering and went into the kitchen for something to eat.

"So when do you want to get married?" Rebecca asked.

"Today," I replied and watched with instant concern as Rebecca choked briefly on a piece of toast.

"You want to get married today?" Rebecca gasped. "Don't you think that's a little impulsive?"

"Rebecca, when it comes to us, if we don't act impulsively we usually end up having to wait 10 years. I don't want to wait any longer to make you mine."

I picked up her hand and kissed her palm.

"Okay," Rebecca said in a distracted tone before regaining her focus. "We need to talk to Luke first though."

"Agreed," I replied, letting go of her hand to clear away the breakfast dishes.

As soon as we were done, we headed over to Billy's house so that Rebecca could change her clothes. Billy was home when we got there. He raised an eyebrow as he took in his daughter's disheveled look.

"You kids have a good night?" Billy remarked with a knowing smirk.

"Dad, Embry and I are engaged," Rebecca said proudly.

Billy sat back in his chair. "Well it's about damn time."

"Really?" Rebecca asked. "You're okay with it?"

"I always knew you two would end up together," Billy responded. "You can't fight destiny."

"Oh yeah, thanks by the way for telling me about the whole imprinting thing," Rebecca muttered, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at her dad.

"Well, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Billy asked as he glanced meaningfully in my direction.

Rebecca looked at me and whatever since of betrayal she felt quickly dissipated. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips before she headed to her room to change.

Billy looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "So when can I expect you to make an honest woman of my daughter?"

I smiled sheepishly in return. "It depends on Luke. If he's okay with it, Rebecca and I are going to drive down to Reno today."

"Today?" Billy responded.

"I don't want to wait," I replied simply. "I _can't_ wait."

Billy nodded slowly. "You deserve your family, son."

"You're okay with it then?" I asked.

"Of course," Billy said. "I couldn't be prouder to call you family. You've turned into a fine young man. Your father would be so proud of you."

I could only smile weakly in return. I was too choked up to answer more fully. Rebecca soon came out with her hair pulled back on the side and wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Yeah," I told her, grabbing her hand. "We'll see you later Billy."

"Good luck," Billy called out as we left to go see Luke.

We drove to Jacob's house in silence, the atmosphere turning tense as we both silently contemplated what Luke's reaction would be. When we walked into the former Cullen house, we found Ness and Jacob cuddling on the couch together. Gabe and Luke were playing a video game on the huge flat screen TV. I couldn't tell where Meena was. Rebecca went over and kissed Luke's head. He waved nonchalantly in response, never looking away from the TV as he tried to beat his cousin at their game. Rebecca instantly returned to my side and grabbed my hand.

"How'd it go last night?" Jake asked as he eyed our joined hands.

"Good," I replied with a huge smile. Rebecca fidgeted next to me.

"What's up Becks?" Jake asked.

"Nothing," Rebecca said, not making eye contact with either Ness or Jake.

"Are you sure?" Jake wondered. She finally looked at her brother.

In a lowered voice, she admitted, "Embry told me you imprinted on Ness when she was a baby."

"Ah," Jake laughed. "Don't worry, I didn't find her hot until she turned six."

"Gross Dad," Gabe muttered, not taking his eyes off the TV. "Don't use Mom and "hot" in the same sentence."

It was so teenagerish of Gabe that we all laughed. I felt Rebecca relax by my side. I dragged her over to the loveseat that was next to the couch and we sat down.

"I know imprinting on a baby is a strange concept," Renesmee said, reaching over to pat Rebecca on the arm reassuringly. "But never once in my life have I ever felt unprotected or unloved. Jake never even saw me romantically until I was physically about 16. Trust me, I tried to make him see me as a woman, but he never laid an inappropriate finger on me no matter how hard I tried to seduce him."

"Seriously?" Gabe complained.

"Someday it'll happen for you too, son," Jake said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to torture my kids by discussing it in front of them," Gabe retorted in disgust.

Meena suddenly came through the living room patio door, her cheeks flushed. I watched Jacob's eyebrows snap together while Ness raised one of hers. Gabe turned his head to look at his twin with narrowed eyes. It was enough to make Luke kill Gabe's video character causing Luke to whoop in excitement. None of the Blacks noticed.

Because Meena had on her the scent of someone I recognized…Nate Uley.

"Hello Aunt Rebecca," Meena said politely before nodding at me. "Uncle Embry."

"And where have you been?" Jake asked in a tone that channeled Billy.

Renesmee muttered a quiet "Jacob" in a warning tone.

"I was just out walking," Meena said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Who with?" Jake asked, standing up and ignoring Ness's attempts to restrain him.

Meena's green eyes flashed angrily. "I ran into Nate, okay?"

"No, it's not okay and you can drop that tone," Jake snapped. "You said you were going for a walk. I don't appreciate you lying to us."

"I didn't lie," Meena retorted. "We just ran into each other, that's all!"

"Go to your room," Jake ordered, running a hand angrily through his hair.

Meena raised her chin and with quiet dignity walked out of the room and went up the stairs, before slamming her bedroom door hard, causing something to crack.

"Jake, how could you?" Ness asked in a quiet angry voice.

"They're sneaking around," Jacob whispered furiously. "Do you want her to end up pregnant before she even graduates?"

I looked at him with a meaningful look. It was a well known fact that Jake had gotten Renesmee pregnant when she was around 17. Edward had tried to kill him when he found out. Jake saw my glance and muttered something that sounded like, "shut up Embry."

"You better than anyone knows that they can't resist each other," Ness said, getting up from the couch to put her hands on her hips. She looked at Gabe and then back at her husband. "If you two don't shape up, you're going to end up alienating her. And I'm not about to lose my daughter over some stupid Alpha vibe!"

With that Ness got up and left the room, going upstairs to talk to Meena. Gabe didn't say anything, he just got up and went into the kitchen. Jake sat forward in his chair and rubbed his face tiredly in his hands. He glanced at both of us.

"You're lucky you have a boy," Jake said. "Raising a teenage girl is going to give me gray hair. Is it so wrong that I just want to protect her?"

"You need to learn to relax baby brother," Rebecca said patting my leg as Luke walked over to us and climbed onto Rebecca's lap. "Meena's a good kid."

"I just hope she remembers that," Jake muttered. He looked at us carefully. "So you two are okay then?"

"Yeah," Rebecca replied, looking at me with a bright smile. "We're great."

"Speaking of," I said, feeling my stomach twist nervously. "Luke, we wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"Okay," Luke responded innocently.

"Why don't I give you a minute," Jake told us, getting up to go into the kitchen where Gabe was.

"Luke," Rebecca said, wrapping her arms around his waist for a quick embrace. "Embry and I were talking last night, and we've decided we want to get married. What do you think of that idea?"

Luke sat frozen as he stared from me to his mom. He looked at me with a glare.

"Do you love my mom?" He asked indignantly.

"Yes," I replied simply. "I love you both more than my own life."

Luke eyed me for a moment before he nodded. "Okay then."

He got up off of Rebecca's lap and went back to play his video game. Rebecca and I looked at each other in confusion.

"Luke, are you sure you're okay with this?" Rebecca asked.

"You said in Hawaii you loved Embry. And when you love someone, aren't you supposed to get married?" Luke said. Hearing about Rebecca's feelings made me smile stupidly.

"Well, you can't fault him for his logic," I whispered and Rebecca lightly elbowed me in the stomach.

"Besides," Luke continued. "You're always laughing and stuff now. So yeah, I'm okay with you getting married. That means Embry will live with us all the time, right?"

"Yes," Rebecca and I said at the same time.

He turned to look at me carefully, "Am I supposed to call you Dad?"

I swallowed over the lump in my throat. "If you want."

"Okay then," Luke said before looking at Rebecca. "And you don't think that Dad will mind?"

"I think Ian will be very happy for all of us." Rebecca assured him.

Luke nodded. "So when are you getting married?"

"Well, how about today?" I asked. "We were thinking about driving down to Nevada. It's a long trip, but I'm sure we could get a hotel with a pool. We can go swimming tomorrow if you want."

"Yay!" Luke responded excitedly.

"When do we leave?" Jake suddenly appeared with Gabe.

"Yeah, you're not getting married without us," Ness spoke up out of nowhere. She had her arm around Meena's waist. Meena's eyes were a little puffy and red. Jake went over to his daughter and whispered an apology, hugging her tight.

"Let's go back to Billy's house so we can get you two packed for an overnight trip," I suggested.

By the time we left for Reno, we had Billy, the Blacks, Paul, Rachel, Devlin, and Sean, and Quil and Claire with us. Sam and Emily had agreed to watch Quil's daughter Kayley. I was going to see if my mother, step-father, and sister could meet us, but they were visiting my step-father's family on the east coast. We made a quick stop to Port Angeles so that I could pick up some clothes and a nice suit, and then we began the 14 hour drive.

We arrived in Reno shortly after 10 pm and drove to the first chapel we saw, the Agape Love Wedding Chapel. We walked into the building, me carrying a sleeping Luke. I froze when I picked up the familiar scent of vampire. I quickly handed Luke to Rebecca and stood protectively in front of them.

"Embry Call! I can't believe this is how you're going to get married!" An angry musical voice said.

I relaxed immediately as we walked into the chapel and saw the entire Cullen clan. Ness went over and hugged her parents. I went over and hugged my mentor, Carlisle, and then Esme.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"Ness called to tell us you were headed to Reno," Carlisle explained. "When Alice found out your plans, she demanded that we all fly down here. She kept envisioning us at this chapel, so we came straight here and hoped you'd show up since she can't see you."

"The Agape Love Wedding Chapel? Really?" Alice said angrily, tapping her foot.

I avoided looking at her as a wedding coordinator came over to Rebecca and me. I was deeply touched to learn that the Cullens had taken care of all the arrangements for us. The woman soon left to take Rebecca back to an area where she could get dressed.

Another came to get me. I glanced apologetically at Alice before leaving to change into my suit. When I had a moment, I looked over their ring selection and found the perfect ring for Rebecca. It was a round cut diamond surrounded by multiple smaller diamonds. The band was also made up of tiny diamonds. It was classy and absolutely Rebecca. I picked out a ring for me as well. With everything taken care of, I walked back into the chapel with anticipation.

The first person I saw was Rebecca. She was talking to Bella, Rachel, Meena, and Ness. She had on an ivory colored suit jacket with a matching skirt that flared out at her knees. The jacket was v-shaped, hinting slightly at the abundant curves beneath. Her hair was piled on top of her head with a few loose tendrils framing her face. She was holding a bundle of fresh red roses that had sprigs of lavender mixed in. She looked amazing.

"Are you sure there's no way I can stop you from doing this and letting me organize a real wedding?" Alice suddenly said next to me.

"Sorry Alice," I replied, already taking a step towards my bride.

"Well, will you at least let me plan the baby shower?"

It took me a few seconds to let her words sink in.

"What did you say?" I asked in shock.

Alice made a gasping noise and covered her mouth with her hand. She pulled it away to mumble an apology.

"I'm sorry Embry. I thought you would have known. Can't you sense the difference in her?"

My eyes flew to Rebecca. I took a deep breath, ignoring the burning sensation caused by the vampires in the room. I picked up Rebecca's lavender and vanilla scent easily. But as I paid closer attention, I also picked up the almost untraceable scent of something else…it was unique, and it was new to Rebecca's usual smell. My mind began to regurgitate everything I had learned as a doctor. Having a baby at the age of 40 was dangerous, not only to the baby, but to the mother as well. Rebecca could die and it would be all my fault, because like a fucking idiot I didn't use birth control last night. I never remembered to use anything anytime I was near Rebecca.

"Okay, I can tell you're about to freak out," Alice said, right before her icy hands reached up to cup both sides of my face.

If I had been paying closer attention and not suffering from shock, it would have registered in my brain that it was Alice touching me. However, I wasn't thinking clearly. I jumped backwards as her sickening scent made my sense of smell want to explode. I went into a protective crouch, a low growl erupting from me.

Four things happened at once. Meena and Gabe grabbed Luke and took him out a side entrance. Ness grabbed Rebecca to restrain her from coming near me. Paul's son Devlin, one of the only active wolves in the room, flew to my side protectively. And Jasper grabbed my throat and plastered me to the wall.

"Jazz," Alice said urgently. "Jazz, it's okay. It was my fault. I shouldn't have touched him when he was in shock."

Jacob walked over, stood on my other side, and placed a firm hand on Jasper's shoulder. Jasper growled but Jacob didn't back down.

"I'm afraid I can't let you kill Embry, Jasper," Jake said firmly. "For one thing, my sister would be pissed. For another, Luke needs his dad."

Alice pushed against Jasper's chest even as Jasper's hands tightened around my throat.

"Please Jazz," Alice pleaded. "Let him go."

With one more squeeze which almost made me pass out, Jasper relented and let me go. I collapsed to the ground as I tried to get air down my throat. Carlisle was by my side instantly, checking for any damage. Alice crouched down next to my other side.

"I'm so sorry about all of this," Alice told me. "I should have explained. I had a vision on the flight down. I saw Rebecca holding the baby in a rocking chair. They were both fine, perfectly healthy in fact."

"Is everything okay in here?" The wedding coordinator asked, walking into the room with the official who was going to marry us.

'Yeah," I replied, quickly getting to my feet, my skin already healed where Jasper's hands had damaged it.

"Can we get a second?" Rebecca implored as she grabbed my hand and took me out into the hall. She looked at me and said, "Okay, what the hell was that about?"

I shook my head, reaching down to rest my hand on her lower stomach area.

"You're pregnant," I whispered.

"What?" Rebecca said, her eyes widening.

"Alice had a vision of you and a baby," I replied.

"I'm pregnant," Rebecca repeated in a somewhat awed voice, her hand covering mine. I watched as she began to glow before my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I told her.

"Sorry? Why?" Rebecca asked in a confused tone.

"The risk--"

Rebecca covered my mouth with her other hand. "Embry, I'm not worried, I'm ecstatic. You're going to get a chance to raise your child from the very beginning. Now, I can make up for what you lost with Luke."

I kissed her palm and pulled her to me for a tight hug. I never wanted to let her go.

"You have nothing to make up," I whispered against her hair. "As long as I have you and Luke, that's all I need."

"I want this Embry, I really do," Rebecca pleaded into my neck. "We're going to be fine. We're survivors…we always have been."

"Okay." I sighed with acceptance. Rebecca smiled happily in return.

"So can we get married now?" She asked.

Chuckling softly, I let Rebecca go but quickly took her hand in mine.

"Yeah, let's get married."

Before we walked into the chapel though, I stopped her.

"I can't believe how well Luke took it," I said in amazement. Rebecca shrugged.

"Ian and I were separated most of his life. I don't think he has a lot of memories of us playing happy family," Rebecca explained before grinning at me. "Besides, he told me when I was getting ready that he loves you."

My heart filled with joy at those words.

Rebecca giggled before adding, "He also said he's excited that we're going to all live together, because that will give him more chances to kick your butt in Monopoly."

I burst out laughing and that's how we began our marriage. We walked back into that chapel with smiles brightly lighting our faces. I never let go of Rebecca's hand once.

Not when we exchanged vows.

Not when we were pronounced husband and wife and I got to kiss my bride.

And not even when I carried our sleeping son back to our hotel and we all collapsed in the same bed, exhausted, but finally a family.

* * *

_A/N – I've posted an original story on FFN's sister site. It's called "Watching Over Me." It's just a one-shot, but I'd love to get feedback on it as I'm thinking about expanding it into a full story and attempting to get it published. Check it out (the link is also on my profile page):_

http://www(dot)fictionpress(dot)com/s/2775156/1/Watching_Over_Me

_All right everyone, the epilogue is next and then this story will be complete. But first, one more big reveal needs to happen for Embry. ;)_

**Please review! **


	30. Epilogue

**Epilogue: Why Baptisms Are Worse Than Wolf Weddings**

_One Year Later_

Embry's POV

"Becks," I called out. "Can you help me with my tie?"

"Sure, let me see," Rebecca said, coming up to me in our living room to straighten my tie with one hand while holding our 3-month-old daughter with her other.

Magdalen Sarah had entered the world weighing a healthy 7 lbs 2 oz. Everything in the pregnancy had gone smoothly and both mother and daughter had made it through fine. I had taken one look at my Maggie, and she instantly became daddy's little girl. While Luke looked like his mother, our daughter was an interesting blend of both of us. She had Rebecca's wide eyes, and my hair coloring along with a feminine version of my jaw and mouth.

"You look really good," Rebecca told me, before looking at Maggie. "Doesn't daddy look handsome?"

Maggie cooed before blowing bubbles of spit at me. Rebecca laughed and kissed the side of her head before handing her to me.

"Can you take her while I finish getting ready?" Rebecca asked.

"Sure," I replied, grabbing our daughter and giving Rebecca a light kiss on the lips at the same time.

Rebecca's heart sped up slightly causing me to smile in return. With another quick kiss, she headed upstairs to get dressed. Today was Maggie's baptism. A lot of my pack brothers were going to be there so it also felt like a family reunion. Leah and her family were even coming to town. I wasn't worried about any of the pack imprinting on my daughter as everyone had already met her.

I sat down in a rocking chair and stared at my daughter. She looked at me for a moment, before yawning and closing her eyes. How life had changed for all of us in the past year.

I had transferred to the clinic in Forks so that I could be closer to the Rez. Rebecca and I now owed a nice house not that far from Billy's home. My life was everything I had ever hoped it would be. I only wish the same fortune could have been showered on the rest of my wolf brothers.

The past year hadn't been an easy one for the Quileute pack. We had been through the very best in our history…and the very worst. New imprints were forged; other imprints were rejected. We welcomed new births. And we greeted death. It had been a hell of a year. Just thinking about everything made me bring Maggie closer to me, grateful for what I had. We weren't the same pack that we had once been. We were damaged, but we weren't defeated.

"Dad, can you fix this for me?" Luke came up to me and handed me a toy that kept falling apart.

"Tell you what," I said as I looked at the toy. "Why don't we take it down to Quil's shop tomorrow and see if he can solder it back together?"

"Okay," Luke said, kissing Maggie on the head.

"You need to get changed," I told him, eyeing the Spiderman pajamas he was still wearing.

"Sure, sure," Luke said, smiling impishly at me before heading up the stairs.

I shook my head with a grin on my face. My heart still leapt every time Luke called me "Dad." It hadn't happened overnight. For awhile he switched between calling me by my given name and calling me his father. It had been a bumpy transition, but Luke eventually adjusted.

He still kept in touch with Ian. They were close and I didn't try to interfere with that. But Luke was now a Call. We legally had his named changed a few months ago with Ian's blessing. It helped solidify our family.

I brought Maggie's sleeping form close to my face and nuzzled her cheek. She smelled like baby powder and her natural scent of peonies. I was staring at her, completely enraptured, when the phone rang next to me. I quickly answered it before it could wake Maggie up.

"Hello," I said in a quiet voice.

"Embry, this is Sue," Sue Clearwater-Swan stated in a strained voice. "I know you have Maggie's baptism today, but I was wondering if I could stop by for a moment."

"Uh…yeah, sure," I replied, feeling anxious for some unknown reason.

"Okay, I'll be over in about 10 minutes," Sue responded before ending the call.

I stared at my phone for a minute before hanging it up and carrying Maggie upstairs. I placed her carefully in her crib before heading into my bedroom and entering the master bathroom where Rebecca was doing her hair.

"Sue Clearwater just called," I told her. "She's coming over."

"Did she say why?" Rebecca asked as she finished pinning her hair in place. I could feel the disapproval coming off my imprint in waves. She had tried talking to both Sue and myself on more than one occasion about telling my siblings the truth, but Sue had refused and I hadn't pressed it.

"No," I said before walking over and wrapping my arms around her from behind. I sniffed her neck, breathing in her lavender and vanilla scent, before running my lips down her pulse line.

"You look really beautiful," I whispered against her skin as Rebecca threw her head to the side, giving me better access to her sensitive flesh.

"We don't have time for this," Rebecca murmured even as her breath hitched.

I was just about to move my hand to her breast when I heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Luke yelled. I heard several voices, Sue's, along with Seth and Leah's.

"All the Clearwaters are here," I told Rebecca. She turned and gave me a brief kiss of encouragement before grabbing my hand and dragging me back downstairs.

"Hey," I said, briefly patting Seth on the back before giving Leah a hug. I hadn't seen her in years. "Leah, you remember Becks, right?"

"Yeah," Leah replied, shaking Rebecca's hand. "Nice to see you again."

"You too, Embry told me you have three kids now."

"Yes," Leah beamed, running over to her purse to pull out a picture of three beautiful children. She began to point to each child in turn. "That's my oldest Lilly, our middle son Harry, and our youngest Julian, though we call him Lian."

"They're beautiful," Rebecca told her and it was true. Leah had married some guy she met in college. He had made her happier than anyone ever thought it was possible for her to be.

"Thanks," Leah replied, looking at the picture proudly before putting it away and looking at her mother. "Okay Mom, what did you want to talk to us all about?"

Sue sat stiffly in one of our living room chairs. Leah went and sat opposite her on the loveseat. Rebecca and I sat down on the couch. She grabbed my hand reassuringly and looked at Luke.

"Luke sweetie, why don't you go upstairs for awhile and play, okay?"

Luke looked at me. I nodded my head, and with a shrug he headed upstairs. Once we heard his bedroom door shut, Sue folded her hands in her lap and looked at Seth, who standing near the stairs with his arms crossed.

"Seth, why don't you share with Embry and Rebecca your news," Sue said, looking pale.

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this," Seth muttered, unfolding his arms so he could rub his neck agitatedly. He looked at me and with a sheepish smile, said, "I asked Hayley to marry me."

"Jared's daughter?" I said, somewhat surprised. "Isn't she a little young?"

"No, she turned 18 months ago. We've been dating for over a year now," Seth admitted before looking at his mom in annoyance. "I love her, Mom. Why can't you just be happy for us?"

"Because you could imprint," Sue said passionately.

"We've been over this," Seth said with an eye roll. "Clearwaters don't imprint. I mean, I've been a wolf for years and I've never imprinted. Leah's never imprinted either. It just doesn't happen for our family. And I don't know why we have to have this conversation in front of Rebecca and Embry anyway."

"That's something I wanted to talk to you about," Sue said, her voice cracking under the emotion.

"Sue," I said lowly, though Leah and Seth could both clearly hear me. "You don't have to do this."

"I appreciate that Embry," Sue said, looking at me with a tired smile. "But it's time. Way past, in fact."

"Would someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Leah said, unnaturally still as she eyed my face suspiciously. Seth just looked from me to his sister to his mother in confusion.

"You're wrong Seth," Sue said in a tear-laced voice. "Clearwaters _can_ imprint."

"What are you talking about?" Seth questioned.

"Shortly after Leah was born, your father and I had some problems. We had just started the store and things weren't going very well. In fact, we were fighting all the time. I had finally had enough and I left your father."

Leah shook her head, "Please tell me this isn't going where I think it is."

"Your father had an affair with Embry's mother," Sue said as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "Embry's your brother."

"No," Leah said, getting up from her chair to begin pacing. "Dad wouldn't do that."

"Did he love her?" Seth whispered.

With a look of apology at me, Sue shook her head. "No, he loved me. The affair was pretty much over before it even began."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Leah snapped.

"I didn't find out until after your father died," Sue said. "And then…I just didn't know how to tell you."

"Oh my God," Leah suddenly moaned. "I used to give the pack so much shit about who Embry's father could be and the whole friggin time it was my own dad. Did you know?"

This question was directed at me.

"Quil Sr. told me right before he died," I told her.

"You've known for over a year and you didn't think to tell us," Leah hissed.

"He was trying to protect your feelings," Rebecca remarked, immediately defending me.

"Protect us?" Leah said angrily. "What a bunch of bullshit. We had a right to know."

I stiffened at Leah's tone. She could say and do whatever she wanted to me, but she _would not_ insult my wife. I opened my mouth to tell her just that when Sue spoke up.

"Don't blame this on Embry or Rebecca, Leah," Sue interceded. "Rebecca's been trying to get me to tell you since she and Embry were married. They both respected me enough to let the decision be mine though."

"This doesn't change anything," Seth suddenly spoke up. We all looked at him in confusion. Seth had been so quiet I had actually forgotten he was there. "I'm still going to marry Hayley."

"But what if you imprint?" Sue whispered.

"It's not going to happen," Seth replied firmly. "And I'm not going to waste my life on a what if. I--"

There was a knock on the door and we all froze. Seth being closest to the door went over and answered it.

"Hi, is Embry here?" A female voice asked. Kayla Marie? What was my sister doing here? She was supposed to meet me at the church with my mom and step-dad.

"I'm here," I called out, greeting her with a smile appearing on my face. No matter what the mood, Kayla always brought a wave a positive energy with her wherever she went.

"Hey," Kayla replied, running into the room.

I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. She was so petite it was like lifting a piece of paper. I wondered if Maggie would inherit her body structure. As soon as I released her, she hugged Rebecca.

Rebecca and Kayla Marie loved each other. Anytime Becks and I went to Seattle, the girls would always spend a day together, shopping and bonding. For the most part my mom joined them. While my mother had been reserved with my ex-girlfriend Amy, she adored Rebecca.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

My sister looked around for the first time and noticed the tension in the room.

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything," she said. "I was hoping I could get in an hour with my niece and nephew before we went to the church. You know, seeing as Maggie's going to be my goddaughter and everything."

She smiled brightly and looked around again.

"Oh," I said, suddenly remembering my manners and looking at Sue hesitantly. I didn't know how any of the Clearwaters would react to having my mother's daughter in the same room, especially after the recent reveal. "This is my sister Kayla Marie. These are the Clearwaters, Leah and Seth, and their mother Sue Swan."

"Nice to meet you," Kayla said politely.

Sue smiled stiffly and Leah huffed. Seth was silent. In fact, he was unnaturally quiet. I looked over at him with a frown. I knew that he was shocked by what he'd learned, but Seth had never been rude before. I froze as I really paid attention to his face. He was looking at my sister with a dazed expression.

Leah noticed at the same time. She said a few choice words in Quileute. Sue covered her face in her hands and started to weep. Rebecca looked at me with a frown. I couldn't say anything, but my eyes were wide. Kayla was looking more and more uncomfortable, though I saw her peeking at Seth a few times.

"Maggie and Luke are upstairs," Rebecca said, coming to the rescue. "Why don't I show you up to their rooms? Did you find the house okay, by the way? I know you haven't been to La Push before."

"Um yeah, it was easy," Kayla Marie responded.

"Oh good," Rebecca said, her voice unnaturally high. "Well, let's go say hello to the kids."

She grabbed Kayla's hand and all but shoved her up the stairs. For a moment I thought Seth was going to follow them, but Leah's voice quickly stopped him.

"You imprinted on your brother's sister? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Leah," Sue said in a warning tone. "They aren't related and watch the language."

"It's creepy," Leah muttered.

"They have two separate sets of parents. There's no blood between them." I defended Seth, even though I was feeling slightly disturbed myself.

"No blood relation except for you," Leah countered.

"I…I…" was all Seth got out. He turned and had taken a couple of steps towards the stairs leading to his imprint when Leah walked over to him and whacked him upside the head.

"Haven't you forgotten a little something? You know, like the fact that you're engaged?"

"Oh…" Seth said, before he started shaking badly. He looked at me apologetically before stating, "I need to leave."

He was out the door and heading towards the woods before he could speak another word. Seconds later, the mournful sound of howling broke the silent air. Leah stood there for a few minutes with her hands curled into fists before she looked at me.

"I'm sorry," Leah said. "Today has been a little overwhelming. I'm not going to be able to attend the baptism."

Without another glance at me, she headed out the door. I looked at Sue and sat down tiredly.

"So that went well," I joked lamely.

"I'm sorry Embry," Sue said, reaching over and patting my leg. "But I know my children. They'll eventually seek you out and welcome you as their brother. Seth will do it because that's his nature. And Leah will do it because family is important to her. She'll want her children to know their uncle. Give them time though."

I nodded. Sue got up and headed out the door. Rebecca came down moments later and sat down next to me, wrapping her arm around my waist.

"Did Seth imprint on Kayla Marie?" She asked.

"Yeah," I replied, turning her head towards me so I could lightly kiss her lips.

"What's he going to do?" Rebecca wondered.

"He'll end things with Hayley," I told her simply. "It'll be too hard for him to be away from Kayla now."

"Poor Hayley," Rebecca sympathized.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Hayley's a good kid. I hate to think what this will do to her, but you have to look at it this way. She wasn't meant to be with Seth. She deserves to find her own soul mate. You know, the one I'm really worried about is Jared. He'll probably want Seth's head on a platter."

Rebecca sighed. "Why does imprinting have to be so difficult?"

"The end results are worth all the pain, don't you think?" I asked, a little hurt.

Rebecca smiled and moved so that she was sitting on my lap. "Yes Embry, you were definitely worth it."

I brought her to me and began to kiss her more firmly. Things were about to get out of control when I heard a delicate cough.

"Boy, are you lucky that I love this kid enough to change her poopy diaper…you know, seeing as her parents are too busy making out that they neglect their parental duties," Kayla joked.

I looked over and saw her holding my daughter who was gurgling happily against her aunt's neck. Kayla sat down in the rocking chair and set it in motion, making faces at Maggie who smiled toothlessly in return.

"How's school going?" I asked. My sister was training to be a physical therapist.

"Good," Kayla replied enthusiastically. "In fact, my boyfriend and I are going to be moving into together for winter semester so we can save some money."

Rebecca and I exchanged nervous looks.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," I said.

"Aaron and I dated a couple of years ago but broke up. We stayed in contact and decided to give it another chance a few months ago."

"Well, that's…uh…nice," Rebecca said weakly.

My eyes narrowed as I automatically went into "overly protective" brother mode. I was about to say something, but Rebecca looked at me and shook her head. Sighing, I changed the subject and got caught up with my sister. Kayla and her boyfriend were going to have to be Seth's problem. The poor guy was going to have more to deal with than he knew.

"We should get going," Rebecca finally said.

We all piled into the car and headed over to the church for Maggie's baptism. Rebecca had asked Paul and Rachel to be Luke's godparents, so this time we'd asked Jacob and Kayla Marie.

I greeted people as they arrived, showing off my children while holding Maggie close to my chest. I was surprised when the Uleys arrived considering everything that had recently happened to their family. Of course, one was missing. There were also some close friends of ours that didn't make it. I wasn't really surprised. It really had been one hell of a year.

"Embry," I heard a voice call out.

I turned to see Will Samson heading towards me. Will was one of the wolves who had changed around the "Volturi Visit" era. He had phased within weeks of Azra and Ryan. Will's life hadn't been easy. He'd had a tough childhood and then made the mistake of falling in love with Leah shortly after he phased the first time. Will had disappeared to Hollywood and became a successful talent agent shortly after Leah had rejected him at Jacob's wedding. I eyed him carefully now.

His hair was longer than the last time I saw him. It was hanging past his shoulders. I noticed that his face looked tired and strained. I glanced down and saw a little boy nestled against his chest. The kid had to be about a year old. He looked a little like Will with the same chin and eyebrows, but his skin was lighter and he had bright blue eyes.

"Will, it's good to see you," I said, reaching out to shake his hand. "It's been years. I didn't think you ever came to La Push anymore."

"I had a change in priorities recently," Will said, glancing at the boy who was looking at me curiously.

"Who's this?" I asked.

"This is my son Kyran, well, Ky for short," Will replied, the strained expression becoming more pronounced.

"I didn't know you had a kid," I murmured.

"I didn't either until a few months ago," Will admitted in a quiet voice as Ky looked around. "My ex-girlfriend showed up and said she wanted to concentrate on her career and didn't want to be a mother anymore. That was how I found out I was a dad."

"What's her career?" I said in a disgusted tone.

"What else in L.A.? She wants to be an actress so she's currently working in some seedy bar. I decided I didn't want to raise my son in Hollywood, so we're moving back here."

"Don't you represent Jared's daughter, Hanna?" I asked curiously. Hanna, Devlin Wakeh's imprint, was on her way to becoming a world famous pianist.

"Yeah," Will said with a shrug. "I'm still going to. She's going to be my first customer at the agency I'm opening in Port Angeles."

"That's great Will," I said, happy that a fellow brother would be around. I'd always liked Will. And I could certainly sympathize with Will's son. He reminded me of myself in some ways, being rejected by a parent.

Maggie stirred against my chest and opened her eyes, looking at the newcomers for the first time.

"Pwetty," Kyran said, looking at my daughter in sheer reverence.

I chuckled in response. "What do you think Will? Do we have a future imprint couple on our hands?"

I meant it as a joke. When Will didn't respond, I looked at him and then swore silently. I knew that expression. I had seen it only a couple of hours before on Seth's face. Will had just imprinted on my 3-month-old daughter. Why the hell couldn't wolves ever get together without mass imprinting breaking out?

Rebecca came up to me and told me we needed to get in place. As we walked towards where the baptism would take place, I whispered what had happened to Rebecca. Her eyes widened as she grabbed our daughter protectively. Rebecca understood that there were no impure intentions when wolves imprinted on children. It didn't mean she liked it though.

The wolves who were in attendance either looked at Will in fascination or laughed at my predicament. The stupid fuckers. While I fully supported imprinting, I didn't want my daughter to experience it…not yet anyway. Not until she was older and could date…like when she turned 40.

Once the ceremony was finished, we went to the community center for lunch. Will's son kept waddling over to Rebecca and our daughter, trying to get Maggie's attention. Will didn't look at Maggie once, though I knew he was aware of where she was at all times. I almost felt bad for the guy. It had to be awkward. It was a well known secret that he'd slept with Leah once. Now he had imprinted on her niece. His face became even more pinched as the party got into full swing. I sat down next to Jake in disgust. He gave me a look that said, eh, what can you do?

Neither of my Clearwater siblings showed up, which caused Hayley Becknell to become upset, and her father Jared to look pissed. Apparently Seth hadn't tracked down his fiancée yet to let her know the news of his imprint. Kayla Marie sat down next to me and chatted amicably with my friends. My mother and step-father also sat down at our table. My mom hadn't been back to the Rez in years. It was a little disconcerting to see her here now. I looked over as Sue Clearwater walked into the room with her husband, Charlie Swan. She stiffened when she saw my mom, but nodded politely at me before heading to the opposite side of the room. I began counting the minutes until it was time for us to go. I just wanted to get my family away from the craziness of the day.

Finally, we headed for home. It was a blessedly quiet night. Rebecca made Luke's favorite meal of hotdogs for dinner. After we ate, we cuddled on the couch to watch a movie. Rebecca pulled a large blanket over Maggie, Luke, and herself. Although it had been a year since my last phase, my body hadn't returned to a regular temperature yet. It would take awhile still.

After the movie was done, Luke got ready for bed. I read him a story while Rebecca gave Maggie a bottle. Rebecca and I finally climbed into our own bed after our kids were safely sleeping in theirs. We kissed tiredly, before I wrapped my arms around her. We both fell into an exhausted sleep. I felt like I had just closed my eyes when I heard a baby cry in the distance.

"I'll get her," I told Rebecca, kissing her shoulder. I didn't even think she was awake to hear me.

I made my way to my daughter's room and walked over to her crib. Her face was red in her anger, her little legs kicking furiously.

"What's got you so upset, Maggie?" I asked. I quickly picked her up and carried her to the changing table. Once a fresh diaper was on, Maggie quieted down slightly, but still whimpered. I couldn't help but wonder if she was missing Will.

I took her down to the living room and put on my "Beatles Greatest Hits" CD. The song, "Baby, It's You," started to play moments later. I held Maggie to me and rocked back and forth to the music, humming with the words. Maggie's eyes began to close and she soon fell asleep.

She really was our miracle child. I had been so terrified of Rebecca giving birth. But she had been determined to give me the experience I had missed out on with Luke. I knew she'd always feel guilty about me missing out on so much of our son's life, though I constantly reassured her that all that mattered to me was having my family now. But I was thankful that Rebecca hadn't backed down and insisted on having Maggie.

Of course, Rebecca got her tubes tied immediately after she gave birth. Our first two times having sex, Rebecca had gotten pregnant, so at least we wouldn't be taking that risk again. I looked down at Maggie who was now snoring lightly.

Every day I felt a new appreciation for the fact that I'd imprinted. Whenever I thought back on my life and all the pain I had gone through, I realized how blessed I was, even when I thought my life was a curse. If I hadn't imprinted on Rebecca, I would still be working in the garage with Quil. I would have settled and never have felt complete.

I felt whole now. Imprinting made me focus on what I really wanted. Now, I had a career I loved, children I adored, and a wife who gave me more love and fulfillment than I felt I ever deserved. I became what I am today because of Rebecca.

Looking down, I kissed my Maggie on her head before turning off the CD player. I carefully carried her upstairs and put her back in her crib. I went into Luke's room.

His comforter was hanging half off him as he laid spread eagle across his bed, his hand hanging over the side. I adjusted the blanket so that it covered his body, before running my hand gently over the top of his hair. I bent down and kissed Luke lightly on the head before leaving his room as quietly as I could.

I walked into my room and lay back down on my bed. Rebecca was facing away from me, but soon rolled over and wrapped her arm around my waist.

"Is she asleep?" She asked tiredly.

"Yeah…go back to sleep," I told her, kissing her head while running my hand soothingly up and down her arm.

Rebecca's breathing slowed and I knew she had fallen back asleep. I cuddled her even closer and thought again about how lucky I was to have Rebecca in my life. A few years ago, I never thought we'd reach this point in our lives.

Now, I could shower her with all the love I'd had inside of me for 14 years. Even longer, if you counted all the years I had worshipped her from afar before I imprinted. She was mine and I was hers.

At one time, I had felt like an outsider, completely unworthy of love. Now, I had everything I'd ever wanted. And it was all because of the woman in my arms.

What was once forbidden to me was now mine to cherish forever.

**THE END**

* * *

**Author's Note**

To learn more about Embry's relationship with his Clearwater siblings, as well as Will's relationship with Leah, check out my story, **"Absent Imprint (Leah's Story)." **

Now, I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you for the support you showed me for this story. I never thought it would do as well as Early Imprint, let alone better. And wow, 2000 reviews! I can't believe it! As I mentioned in my forum, this story was my biggest challenge to write because it had to fit the timeframe of Early Imprint, (which is why there were so many gaps throughout the years). Another challenge was how to make this story interesting when a majority of you read EI and knew half of what happened to Embry. For example, you knew he ended up leaving La Push and moving out east, and that happened halfway through this story. Still, I hope Forbidden had some surprises for you.

I want to send out special shout-outs to Rose T and Dazzled~By~Jake who helped me make this the cleanest story I've ever written, grammatically speaking. And a special thanks to Dazz who not only helped me with this story, but also beta'd Absent Imprint, all the while writing her own fantastic stories.

Also, I want to thank everyone who took a moment to read and comment on my original story, "Watching Over Me." I was really nervous to throw my original work out there, and I can't thank you enough for the feedback. I know some of you were worried about people stealing my ideas and characters. Let me reassure you, I've pre-registered the story for copyright which means it's protected by law against theft.

To switch gears a bit, if you would like to see Rebecca's wedding dress and ring, go to my profile page and click on my photobucket account link, and then look in the "Story Extras" folder. I've also posted Emily and Claire's rings and dresses in there as well.

Regarding my Imprint Saga…as promised my next story is about Nate, Meena, Gabe, Gracie, and Ryan. Be on the lookout for "Stormy Imprint (Second Generation)." Thanks to everyone who took a moment to vote for the new name in my poll. That title won by an overwhelming margin. The first chapter should be up in a week or so. If you're interested in reading it, you might want to put me on your "Author Alert" so you know when it's up. The story banner is also on photobucket.

The first two chapters will take place during Quil's wedding. I needed to go back to show you what happened during and after the wedding from the kids' POVs as it sets up the dynamics for the rest of the story. And then the story is going to jump ahead two years to when the Blacks move back to La Push.

The following questions will be answered in the kids' story:

1) What's up with the Amber/Collin connection?

2) What's the deal with Azra?

3) Will Ryan ever return to La Push?

4) Who else will get imprinted on?

5) And if you've been following Leah's story, you already know that there is another female wolf. You'll find out who it is in this story.

Now…a sneak peek of "Stormy Imprint"...

"_Meena, Ness, this is Nate Uley," Quil said. "Nate, meet Meena and Ness Black." _

"_Mrs. Black." I nodded politely in Renesmee's direction before turning to officially meet Meena. In a tone I didn't recognize, I said softly, "Meena."_

"_Please call me Ness." Renesmee insisted. I nodded, but didn't take my eyes off her daughter, even as I felt Jacob's glare. Meena stared back at me and the rest of the world disappeared. _

"_Would you like to dance?" I asked. _

_I suddenly became nervous. What if she said no? How would I survive it? I relaxed though as Meena smiled shyly and placed her hand in mine. It was incredible, the feel of her skin against mine. It was like the world had been spinning crazily out of control and the moment we made contact, everything made sense again. I couldn't look away as we finally made it to the dance floor. I pulled her to me, resting my hands on her waist. I knew in that moment that nothing in my life would ever be the same again, and it didn't even matter as long as I had Meena by my side. _

"_So…uh…what do you think of La Push?" I asked, holding my breath unconsciously as I waited for her answer. If she didn't like it, I didn't know what I was going to do. I couldn't leave my pack._

"_I love it here," Meena responded, her lips forming into a soft smile. My eyes were instantly drawn to her full lips. I badly wanted to taste them with my own. _

_She continued, "My family has always been fond of this area."_

"_Oh right…the Cullens," I said, forcing myself to concentrate._

"_You say their name like it's a bad thing," Meena replied with a slight frown._

"_Do I?" I asked. Shit! "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I don't remember the Cullens, but my dad always had nice things to say about Dr. Cullen." _

"_Great-Grandpa." Meena smiled again. "Who's your dad?" _

"_Sam…Sam Uley," I responded, staring at her mouth again._

"_Oh…" Meena said and this time it was my turn to stare into her eyes with a frown, but the moment she returned my look, I forgot what we were even talking about. I felt a sudden shove and I was forced away from Meena._

"_Stay the hell away from my sister," someone yelled right before I felt a hard fist make contact with my face. _

**All right, that's it! *sniff* Forbidden is done. I'll be posting a picture of Embry's family on my photobucket account in a couple of days if you want to see them. **

**As this is the last of Embry's story, I'd really love to hear from all of you, ghostreaders included, so ****please review!**


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